What’s Next?

By David Faust

It’s nearly over—or is it? The holiday season blankets us with a steady progression of TV specials, programs at school and church, heavy meals, and football games. When December finally comes to an end and a new year begins, we shake ourselves from our holiday hibernation and wonder, “What’s next?” 

Impatient curiosity about the future can be a sign of immaturity. It’s unhealthy if we’re restless and unsettled, always searching for a better job, a bigger house, a nicer car, a newer amusement. But in another sense, the “what’s next” syndrome is simply a fact of life. You finish a project at work and the boss gives you another assignment. You pay your bills only to watch new ones appear in your mailbox. You wash every item in the laundry basket, but dirty towels and rumpled jeans reappear with amazing speed. You prepare a hearty lunch, and before your kids leave the table they ask, “What’s for dinner?” 

On the positive side, it can be a mark of faith to ask, “What’s next?” When you trust the eternal God, you may feel curious about the future, but you don’t need to worry about it. A new year means another growth step to take, another goal to set, and more fruit to bear in God’s kingdom. 

A Peek from the Peak 

Years ago, I preached a series of messages on Christian hope at Johnson University (then called Johnson Bible College) near Knoxville, Tennessee. One afternoon I slipped away from campus for a few hours of hiking in the Smoky Mountains with my hosts, college president David Eubanks and his wife Margaret. They took me to a scenic park near Gatlinburg where a pair of rocky peaks known as the Two Chimneys jut high above the tree-lined mountains. 

Nearing the top after a two-mile hike, we could see the final challenge looming ahead: a ledge of rugged gray granite, perhaps 20 feet high, almost straight up. I assumed we had reached the limit of what we could climb, but my guides had other ideas. 

David said, “Just follow me.” He showed me where to put my hands and feet, and he advised me to pull myself up with the help of rhododendron roots. “They won’t pull loose,” he assured me. And they didn’t. Before long we were on top of the rock, enjoying a spectacular view in every direction as orange and yellow leaves mingled with evergreen spires in the valley below. We stayed there for about 20 minutes, then headed back down the mountain before the sun set and the air grew dark and cold. 

I was glad we made the climb. 

Keep Climbing 

As a new year looms up ahead, I ponder the lessons I learned that autumn afternoon at the Two Chimneys. 

Watch your step. Hold onto your roots. Look up more than you look back. Follow the footsteps of wise, experienced leaders who have climbed the mountain before. Keep climbing even when you think you have reached the limits of your ability and strength. 

When you reach a peak, don’t linger there too long, for things grow cold and dark if you don’t keep moving. 

And whatever you do, make sure you enjoy the view. 

This article by David Faust first appeared in The Lookout magazine on December 27, 1998. 

David Faust serves as contributing editor of Christian Standard and senior associate minister with East 91^st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is the author of 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Unquenchable Faith.