With a turn of the page another month is gone and a new one takes its place.  Time continues moving ahead and I wonder, “Do I live with the end in mind?”  I’m not sure.  When I woke up this morning, I didn’t embrace the sunlight with thoughts of praise or thank God for a warm bed and restful sleep.  Instead, concerns of  the here and now pricked at the tender places in my heart.

Will my boy make it through this rough spot?  Am I guiding, helping, doing enough? 
Will this new diet help Heather’s stomach aches? 
Can we squeeze in enough tutoring to really change my little one’s struggles with dyslexia? 
Is my mother going to be alright when she moves?  How long will her dwindling savings last?
My right eye began its nervous twitching and I hadn’t even put my feet on the floor (which, unsurprisingly, needs to be vacuumed in the worst way!)
Live with the end in mind.  That was the phrase posted on a marquis outside the little church on the corner.
Am I living my life with the end in mind?  Do I live to glorify Him?  Yes–when I turn the day’s worries over to the One who is over all things.  Yes–if I give my wonderful but messy family life to the Father who tends to each need in ways only He can.  So….in this moment…and for today I am deliberately choosing to live with the end in mind.
There is more than the concern that greets me in the morning.  There is more than a sink full of dishes or bills waiting to be paid.  There is more in Christ–more joy, peace, love, and strength.  Today, I want more of that.  I’m going to live with the end in mind.
Verses for Reflection
Watch for this: The time is coming’—God’s Decree—‘when I will keep the promise I made to the families of Israel and Judah. When that time comes, I will make a fresh and true shoot sprout from the David-Tree. He will run this country honestly and fairly. He will set things right. That’s when Judah will be secure and Jerusalem live in safety. The motto for the city will be, “God Has Set Things Right for Us.”  (Jeremiah 33:14-16 MSG)