Tomorrow is a Blank Page

By guest writer, Dr. Alan Pue.

Confession time. I’m not the biggest fan of country music but I love this quote from one of its brightest stars, Brad Paisley:

Tomorrow is the blank page of a 365-page book.

Write a good one.

As an author I see the wisdom in that statement. I’ve written thousands of pages over the years; books, journal articles, book reviews, twenty years of monthly letters to my supporters, sermons, presentations, the list goes on. Some of that writing has been pretty good, some not so much. I never set out, however, to write poorly.

Different Endeavors

My goal has always been the same: Say what needs to be said and say it in a way that will capture the imagination and move the heart of the reader. I haven’t always succeeded in achieving that goal, but I’ve never set out to do less. And every now and again I do get to remark, “That’s pretty good, if I do say so myself.”

Writing and living are, however, very different kinds of endeavors. Manipulating words on a page, as challenging as that can be at times, is a much simpler endeavor than living life in real time. In life you seldom get to hit the delete key and rewrite the last minute, hour, day, week, month, or year. What you say or do in real time leaves a lasting impression.

Don’t believe me? Try this. Just close your eyes and probe that thumb drive in your mind. Recall the most joyous or painful, the most encouraging or discouraging, the most heroic or cowardly moment in the last year or decade or era of your life.

Did you have a hard time bringing back memories both joyous and sad, both exhilarating and discouraging? I suspect not. Why do you think that is? It’s simple, really. Life sometimes marks you and me and everyone else like indelible ink. The spreading stain threatens to ruin what had been a beautiful outfit or experience. We weep or rage or sit in resigned acceptance of an event beyond our control. There seems to be no way to right the catastrophe we’ve experienced.

Ponder Each Day

Sometimes we are tempted to despair and toss our beloved garment into a bin destined for next week’s trash pick-up. Life, however, is not like a simple piece of clothing. It is far more important and far more resilient. And we can begin to discover that gift of grace bestowed on everyone who calls on the name of Christ when we read these words of ancient wisdom:

Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.

Psalm 90:32

Consider what Eugene Peterson has to say about this passage in his wonderful book, Answering God: The Psalms as Tools of Prayer.

The life of David is full of [difficult] incidents. Everyone’s life is. Not a palace coup for most of us . . . but conflict and failure and fear, love and betrayal, loss and salvation. Every day is a story, a morning beginning and evening ending that are boundaries for people who go about their tasks with more or less purpose, go to war, love others, earn a living, scheme and sin and believe.

While, as Peterson notes, few of us will live a life nearly as triumphant or tragic as David, all of us are called to ponder each day as it unfolds, whether according to our plan or beyond anything we have ever considered, and then seek God’s counsel, looking for what He has to teach us about the life to which we have been called. And upon learning what lies at the heart of our experience we gain wisdom for what lies ahead, for the next page in the book we are privileged to write.

What Lies Ahead?

And consider this. Every good book you or I have ever read is filled with the unexpected. Wow, you say, “I didn’t see that coming!” Those twists and turns are what gives texture and substance and yes, both joy and sadness to the story. But you are seldom bored with such yarns and under the author’s guidance you keep turning the pages with anticipation of what lies ahead.

I can’t fully explain the point at which my authorship and His merge. I do know, however, that I am never to be passive in the process. Rather I am called to engage, to “strive” as the Apostle Paul encourages us, to know Him more deeply and to be an encouragement and example to all those whom our Lord brings into my life.

One final thought for those of us who are a bit more creased and worn by our long years on this Earth. It comes from the pen of one of my favorite authors:

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a dream.

C.S. Lewis

So, what’s your new goal? What’s your dream? Why not start writing the next page today?

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Dr. Alan Pue has served as a classroom teacher, coach, headmaster, and Provost and Senior Vice President of The Master’s College. For fifteen years he also served as an elder and teaching pastor of the Pike Creek Valley Baptist Church in Newark, DE.

Currently, he is President of The Barnabas Group, a consulting ministry to Christian educators and church leaders. He is also the author of three books (Rethinking Sustainability, Rethinking Strategic Planning for Christian Schools, & Rethinking Discipleship) as well as numerous articles and book reviews.

He met his wife, Linda, in college and she has served alongside him in those various capacities. They are the parents of a daughter and son and have seven beautiful granddaughters. He enjoys reading, writing, and golf and spending time with family and good friends.