It is axiomatic to say we don’t know what the future holds. God spans space and time; we humans do not.

We can make plans for the future, but plans don’t bring a guaranteed outcome. There are just too many variables.

I’ve been thinking about the future recently. Probably that stage of life. The nest is empty (more or less) and downsizing makes sense, while it is an option – as opposed to the necessity it was for my parents.

While my wife and I remain healthy, it makes sense that we would plan to travel more often. We are both theoretically retired, though retirement has brought with it not leisure but a shift in what we do. No complaints about that.

I must admit though that I have mixed feelings about travel. I don’t mind being new places, but the process of getting there is so stressful these days that staying home is really appealing. (If you’ve flown recently I’m sure you know what I am saying.)

But who knows how long our health will last? as my brother pointed out to me last week, only one of our grandparents made it past 70. Long life isn’t necessarily in my genes, though you never know – I could wind up in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s oldest person.

We don’t know what the future will bring. I learned that long ago. If you can remember back when you were a teenager, did you have some idea how the rest of your life would unfold? I did. It has been very different from how I imagined it.

I was going to be a lawyer. I was focused on that for more than a decade. I was probably going to focus on Constitutional Law, given my interest in politics.

That never happened. I wrote the Law School Admission Test, and scored very highly. But there was a problem.

I had fallen in love (with someone who wouldn’t fit the profile if online/computer dating had existed back then). Marriage was looming. Ask any lawyer: law school is not good for relationships.

Instead, I became a journalist. Looking back I can see God’s direction. The skills I learned studying journalism have been useful in my work not only in media, but in politics and in support of the persecuted church.

I have no regrets – though I will admit to still being interested in law. Not enough to want to practice it though.

I might have been able to predict the two children and two grandchildren; that sort of thing is fairly normal after all. I would never have thought though that I would live in Europe, or in Africa. It is amazing where God can lead you when you are open to His direction.

Nor as a teen could I have envisaged the role music would play in my life. That’s a book in itself, except I decided a few years back I wasn’t going to write it. There’s only so much time, and who wants to hear those stories?

One thing that I would have predicted as a teen was that I would continue to maintain a close relationship with God. We live in a chaotic world and not much seems to make sense. There is death and destruction everywhere. When you meet Jesus, the planet begins to come into focus. He really is the answer to the question of what it means to be human.

Looking back and thinking about my life so far, I see so many things that just weren’t planned. Things I wouldn’t change.

I don’t know what the next decade will bring. I can’t even say with certainty what tomorrow will bring – I think I know but I could be wrong.

All of which is a long rambling way of mentioning that today is a milestone. It was 40 years ago today that my fiancé and I stood in front of a room full of people and promised to love each other as man and wife.

I have trouble believing it has been that long – it feels like yesterday. At the time I wasn’t thinking about 40 years. I doubt I was thinking even about a year. I was just so excited to be entering a new phase of life with this woman God had brought into my life. I still feel that way.

Looking back at the past 40 years, I can say with certainty that whatever comes next, it will be an adventure. Though as I age, I must admit I’m hoping it won’t be too adventurous. And I couldn’t ask for anyone better to share it with.

Happy anniversary Vivian. I love you.