Big Picture

About two years ago, a college adviser told me about one of his students who had collared him in a hallway. Animatedly running his sentences together, the young man excitedly shared the bright future he was absolutely convinced lay ahead of him. That very day he had received wonderful news: he'd been accepted into a prestigious law school. Because of that single event, he believed the rest of his dreams would become a reality.

When the young man finally took a breath, the professor, who saw the big picture, interrupted. He asked the young man, “And, when you get through with your courses, and pass the bar, what will you do then?”

“Then I’m going to go get my doctorate.”

“ And after you get your doctorate, what then?”

“Well then, I will get a number of difficult cases and I will, by eloquence and with a thorough command of the law, gain a distinguished reputation.”

“And with this renowned reputation, what next?”

“Then, in wealth, I shall live comfortably, looking forward to a happy old age.”

“And, after this happy, wealthy, old age, what then?”

“Oh, I don’t know, I guess, I’ll die,” came the reply.

“And after you die, what then?” The young man had no answer. His planning for the future had stopped. There was nothing more.

Excerpt from The Lutheran Hour broadcast of: July 6, 2003