THE FUTURE IS STILL BRIGHT. 

Mide was staring seventy in the face.

In another six months, she would turn seventy.

Three score and ten.

That was it.

She remembered vividly how excited she had been when approaching her sixtieth year. There had been so much positive anticipation. Somehow, that excitement was nowhere in sight now.

What had happened to the spring in her step?

What had happened to the glow on her face?

What had happened to the smile that lit up her eyes?

Seventy…

The grave is getting close.

And she stopped that thought immediately.

So that was it.

Death….

Some of her friends had passed on after fifty, and some more had passed on after sixty.

She felt bad now.

She should be grateful to God.

She was still here.

She was healthy.

Her husband was well.

Her children and grandchildren were thriving.

They had made wise investments over the years and were financially comfortable.

But…

She just knew she had to snap out of this mood.

Her family was planning a very intimate celebration.

Just the children, their spouses and the grandchildren. Two of her sisters and their families would also be present. Her only brother had said he would do his best to fly in for the occasion.

No loud party.

No painting the town any colours.

It was almost as though they had sensed her mood.

She had been feeling this way for quite a while now.

Her husband had repeatedly asked if she was nursing an ailment. He had even begun to fear something terminal from the way she carried on. But it was nothing of the sort.

Yes, she had put on a bit of weight and was becoming increasingly self-conscious about it. But honestly, in the grand scheme of things, what did that really matter?

As a believer, she decided to talk to God about the way she was feeling.

That morning, after her husband had left for his medical practice—he still showed up most days even though he was in his mid-seventies—she knelt by her bedside and began to pray softly in tongues.

Gradually, her prayers gathered momentum.

She remained there for about half an hour before she felt led to Isaiah 43:18.

Promptly, she opened her Bible.

“Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.” Isaiah 43:18 KJV

And immediately, she knew.

She understood.

She realised that she had been silently dreading the years ahead.

The future…

Though she had retired from the civil service at sixty, she had looked forward to a new chapter in her life then. She had launched a business; packaging and selling gift items and souvenirs for events. She was well known in her field and her products were top-notch.

Yet here was God speaking clearly to her.

Forget all the things gone by.

She knew she had to make a conscious effort to start creating new memories.

She should plan more fun times with her grandchildren.

She should schedule lunch dates with her friends, especially her childhood and secondary school friends.  Every once in a while, when they were together, they still giggled like teenagers.

Oh dear!

What had she been doing?

She had been feeding her mind with all manner of gloom and doom.

She thought about an aunt of hers, who was almost ninety and still enjoyed fun times with her old school classmates of more than seventy years.

Twice every week they gathered to pray for their children, grandchildren and nation.

They were creating new memories.

They had gone on holidays together in their seventies.  They had movie dates.

They laughed.  They lived.

Why had she not thought about all that?

Instead, she had been dreading the future.

Just then another scripture came to mind:

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11 KJV

As she explored further, she found a translation that transformed her mood completely:

“I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering.” Jeremiah 29:11 CEV

Here was God assuring her that old age was definitely not a time of suffering.

Immediately, she lay flat on her face and began to worship her ABBA.  The blues had melted away.  She knew God had her.

She had been worrying herself sick about absolutely nothing.

She had many beautiful years ahead of her.

This was a new chapter.  A new season.

And she was going to embrace it wholeheartedly.

“Thank You, ABBA,” she whispered.

She rose to her feet and laid out a lovely outfit she had bought a few months earlier. At the time, she had felt the right occasion had not yet come to wear it.

Well, today was that day.

She would call her dear friend Sumby.

They would have lunch together.

And yes, that lunch would include whatever decadent dessert happened to be on the menu.

The future is still bright.

Grinning broadly, she hopped into the shower, humming  “The Best Is Yet To Come” , by Donald Lawrence

Dear friend, are you transitioning into a new decade of life, or have you recently crossed that threshold?

Look ahead with expectation.

God has great things in store for you.

Some of us may have enjoyed wonderful years in our youth. But rather than despair about what the future holds, we should look back fondly on seasons filled with adventure, achievement and memorable milestones.  And remember that God’s Word encourages us not to live facing backward.

“Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.” Isaiah 43:18 KJV

The future is not something to fear. For the believer, it is something to embrace.

Our path is as the shining light that shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.

The best chapters of our lives are not necessarily behind us.

There are still memories to create, people to bless, places to see, prayers to answer and victories to celebrate.

So let us lift up our heads.

A new season is before us.

And with God, the future is still bright.

OLUYINKA EGO-MARTINS ©