Let’s be honest: we all love to play CEO of our own lives.
We’ve got these color-coded planners and map out our futures, sometimes tossing in a quick prayer like, “Hey God, could you bless this thing I really want?” We kind of lay out our plans to Him like we’re pitching a business idea, just crossing our fingers for a thumbs up.
And then, reality hits. And sometimes, it doesn’t just tap you on the shoulder—it breaks your heart.
Life is unpredictable; cherish connections rather than control outcomes.
There was an old man in a nursing home who used to live life his way, which strained his relationship with his kids. Over time, they grew distant. Now he wishes they would visit him more often, but they only come every other Saturday.
One Saturday, his kids showed up at the nursing home, all excited to give him a hug. But he got mad and turned his back on them. He was mad that they seemed to have totally forgotten his birthday, which he thought was just last week. Little did he know, his actual birthday was still three weeks away!
His kids want him to know he’s not forgotten. They had planned a party at the nursing home with colorful decorations, fun music, and his favorite whipped cream cake. Gradually, the old man chilled out and stopped being bummed. He turned back into his carefree self, cracking jokes with his kids until visiting hour wrapped up.
Three weeks later, the kids get a call from the nursing home. Turns out, their dad took a tumble out of bed. They rush over to the place and find him all sprawled out with machines and tubes around him. It wasn’t looking too rosy. But with his classic grin and laid-back vibe, he looks at them and says, “What’s all the drama? I’m not kicking the bucket just yet!”
That same night, he passes away, with his family by his bedside.
All the planning, all the arguments, all the frustration over things that suddenly didn’t matter anymore. His final joke, his final stubborn protest against a reality he refused to see.
We can plan everything down to the last minute. We can waste precious energy being angry over things we don’t understand, or fighting battles that turn out to be completely upside down.
But life—and death—unfolds with or without our permission.
We try so hard to steer the ship, clutching our little calendars in the dark. Maybe faith isn’t about getting the future right. Maybe it’s about holding each other a little closer while we still can, laughing through the tears, and realizing that the script was never ours to write in the first place.
