UNPACK This: The Madness Of MarchSample

"Confident Brackets"  

Every year I look forward to watching exciting matchups during March Madness. The element that makes this tournament so captivating is the process of filling out a bracket. Predicting the outcome of games and guessing which teams make it to the Final Four is always entertaining.
 
While filling out our brackets, some of us become so confident in our picks that we start guaranteeing that games will end the way we predict. But if you’ve ever filled out a bracket, you know that even after the first game finishes, most of us start saying, “Well, there goes my bracket!”

Filling out brackets is humbling, but it can be a reminder of how we approach the unpredictability of life. Although we know we can’t predict the future, we still have an arrogance about the “guarantee” of certain things happening for us. Whether it’s landing our dream job or having kids when we plan to have them or moving to the perfect neighborhood, we assume these things will play out the way we choose.

Although there’s nothing wrong with planning and setting goals as we trust God, sometimes we need to acknowledge that He’s the only One who sees the big picture and we must humbly submit to His plan. 

James 4:13-15 poses this question: “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’”

These verses are tough to swallow, but they make us take notice that we aren’t in control of everything and life can change in an instant. Instead of trying to manipulate God or making guarantees on the way we think life should go, we need an open mind and heart. 

As we fill out our brackets and plan our lives, let’s remember to humbly look at the future while we pursue God’s will, knowing we’ll be okay when our life’s brackets sometimes get busted. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that! 

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me not to be prideful about the way life should go. I pray Your will be done and that I remain humble when I think about the future. Thank You for being there for me while life is unpredictable. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.