Having faith in the future

The Hebrew Bible tells a story about the prophet Jeremiah that holds relevant lessons for our daily lives.

When the city of Jerusalem was besieged by enemies intent on its destruction, Jeremiah bought some land in the area from his cousin. He paid for it with silver and had the deed signed, sealed and delivered. He put it in a clay jar, which he buried on the site of his plot. He was subsequently put in prison by King Zedekiah because he publicly predicted that Jerusalem would be destroyed by the Babylonians, who were encircling the city. Jeremiah wanted the people to flee, to save themselves.

Jeremiah was not buying land for himself. He bought the land certain that, though Jerusalem and the Temple might be destroyed in his lifetime, they would rise again. He was putting his money where his mouth was.

King Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed Jerusalem, exiling the elites. Final deportation was accomplished over years, but some Jews always remained. A Jewish kingdom arose, the Temple was rebuilt. It, too, was destroyed, some 655 years later, this time by the Romans, under Titus.

Jeremiah survived his imprisonment and spent the final years of his life in Egypt. The people of Judah were dispersed, but they came back, repopulated their land and rebuilt their Temple, as Jeremiah believed they would. The establishment of Israel in 1948, after nearly 2,000 years, was in the same tradition.

Jeremiah had faith in the future and was willing to back that belief with real assets. We all need to believe in a future, or our lives become a drudgery. None of us knows for sure what will happen to us, but we nonetheless invest in ourselves.

As we proceed through life, we appreciate more the value of those investments. We also recognize that, as the days pass, we have an increasingly limited amount of currency left in our bank. We bear the responsibility for the choices we make.

From my vantage point in my 90s, I realize that I have spent a lot of my time without much thought. Those years were the most valuable thing I had. I live now with more intention.

We need time to build careers and, hopefully, be meaningfully employed. We need time to create the families that are our legacy. We need time to become financially secure. We need time to learn who we are, how to help others and make at least our part of the world a little better. These are just some of the things we might hope for to make us happy.

How are things going for you? Do you have faith in the future you are building, satisfaction in the place where you are, hope for where you dream of being? 

Max Roytenberg is a Vancouver-based poet, writer and blogger. His book Hero in My Own Eyes: Tripping a Life Fantastic is available from Amazon and other online booksellers.