The Pastoral Grind

( Photo by  Jess Bailey  from  Pexels ) (Originally written for The Baldwin Bulletin: Pastor's Column May 15, 2020) Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (James 4:13-17) Most of the time we feel like we’re in control of things. We make plans and schedules about how life should go. The reality, though, is only God knows what will happen. We can debate politically whether businesses and gatherings should be open or closed. Should each be allowed to decide on their own or should government officials mandate that? However, God reminds us t