April 13, 2026 / 0 comments

Hole in the Bucket List

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

  • Jeremiah 29:11

Teach us to number our days,
    that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

  • Psalm 90:12

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
    you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
    which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel.”

  • Luke 2:25-32

This is yet another jigsaw puzzle.  It was fun to do and challenging.  Sometimes, it is one or the other.  Each section of this puzzle had its challenges, but none that were overwhelming.  And I have been to quite a few of these parks.

The movie, The Bucket List, came out in 2007.  Forty years before that, I wanted to do two things in my lifetime.  I had never heard of a bucket list.  I wanted to go to all fifty states in the USA, and I wanted to visit all the National Parks.

The Lord has been good to me, or is it the bad things, or really the things that seem bad at the time have forced me to do some travelling.  I have been to the 48 Contiguous states, just not Alaska and Hawaii.  And since those states have National Parks, I have not been to all the National Parks.  Besides, there have been a lot of parks added since I was wanting to go to them all.

When we came back from Germany, I was stationed near Boston, MA.  I wanted to visit Acadia, but by the time my family joined me, the park was closed, and the park did not open until I was out of the military.

Things happen.  All things work for the good of those that love the Lord, but in my remembering, hardly any of them felt good at the time.  I always found a reason to be joyful.  I always found a reason to serve at my workplace and in the community.

But the Scriptures are telling.  Our plans do not matter.  For us to seek God’s plan and stick to that one…  Now that’s the best way to go.

If we can stick to God’s plan, He might just give us a chance to see something special.  Simeon got to see Jesus.

When we trust in Jesus and we love Him, we will see Jesus.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.

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