Do you dread the future? Or will you warmly welcome it
as you would anew friend?
Senator Hubert Humphrey, a man with an indomitable zest
for living,once talked about
the "good old days." He said, "They were never thatgood, believe me. The good new days are today,
and better days arecoming
tomorrow. Our greatest songs are still unsung."
What a marvelous spirit! Our greatest songs are still
unsung! Quite adifferent
spirit is found in a business magazine ad that pictures
anewborn baby with the
caption: "Only 22,463 days until retirement."
The ad is cute, but it picks up on a spirit of our day.
It is aspirit of worry and
anxiety. It is a spirit that tells us, "You don'tknow what the future holds! It is likely to be
bleak; evendisastrous! You
can never be too careful!" You know what spirit Imean.
I have always
believed in the future. And I will look forward to itwith great anticipation. Why shouldn't I make friends
with thefuture? After all, I
intend to spend the rest of my life there!
I am intrigued by a story about a bishop back in the 1870s.
Thebishop had charge of a smalldenominational college. Annually, hevisited the school and stayed in the home of the
president.
The bishop was a narrow thinker with a dim view of the
future. Hetold the school
president during one of those visits that everythingthat could be invented had already been invented.
The administrator disagreed. "In 50 years," he contested,
"peoplewill learn to fly like
birds."
That kind of talk greatly disturbed the bishop. "Flight is
reservedfor birds and angels," he
said emphatically, "and you, sir, areguilty of blasphemy!"
The name of the bishop was Milton Wright. That name may not
have agreat deal of meaning to
you, but something else will. You see, backat home, this clergyman had two enthusiastic sons -
Orville and
Wilbur - who believed that our greatest songs were still
unsung! Therest of the story is
one of an enthusiastic belief in tomorrow. Youknow how it ends.
Do you believe that your greatest songs are still unsung?
Will youjoyously welcome
tomorrow, and all the tomorrows to come? Supportedby those we hold dear and under girded by faith, we,
too, can sharean enthusiastic belief in tomorrow!
Steve Goodier is a professionalspeaker, consultant and author of numerous
books. Visit his site for
more information, or to sign up for his FREE
newsletter of Life, Love
and Laughter at
LifeSupportSystem.com.
