Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. (James 4:13-16, NASB)
ALS is all about control–specifically, LOSING it. Every ALS patient is different as far as how the disease manifests itself, and the order of capability loss. For me, the progression was like so: First went the legs (and running, driving, going upstairs, walking, then standing); then my arms (lifting, pushing, feeding myself, picking up a book, turning the pages); then the ability to breathe on my own (which led to a tracheostomy, and for me, loss of my ability to speak); and loss of the ability to eat. I can’t do anything without someone’s assistance. I have lost total control. And yet the Bible passage from James reminds us that ultimately God is in control of everything that goes on in our lives.
It’s taken me a long time to understand that God is in control. He has and does orchestrate everything that happens in my life. It’s up to me to acknowledge that, and to live my life accordingly. That means He had a hand in my attending the Air Force Academy; in what cadet squadron I was in, and who were the people I was with; the wonderful woman He gave me for my wife; my assignments in the Air Force; who our children would be; and my post-retirement employment. Nothing is an accident or a coincidence. All through life God puts us together with specific people for a reason. These are divine appointments. Each day we are acts that are part of God’s plan.
James was one of the half-brothers of Jesus. The Gospel accounts give evidence that during Jesus’ public ministry, His family may not have understood Who He was, and may have thought He was crazy. James may have gone from that mindset to become one of the leaders of the early Church in Jerusalem, and the author of this book in the New Testament.
James 4:16 image. Found at https://ponderinglife.blog/2020/02/28/if-the-lord-wills-james-416/
The point of this paragraph by James is that when we make plans, we need to remember that God is in control. Instead of deciding we’re going to do this or that, we need to remember that ultimately it’s up to God. “If the Lord wills . . . ” We’ve all heard another form of this expression: “Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.” James goes further when he says that failure to recognize God’s sovereignty in the events of our lives is “arrogance,” and that is “evil.”
God willing, I’ll be around for awhile. But if not, it’s His plan, and that’s fine with me. His will be done!