Living in the Future

A few weeks ago, I was sitting with my phone in hand, ready to post to TikTok. It should have been a simple decision — take a picture, upload it, hit “post.” But instead, my mind started running a completely different race.

“What if this takes off and I get rich? What if money changes me? What if my motives aren’t pure?”

Within seconds, I wasn’t in my living room anymore — I was somewhere in the future, living out a story that hadn’t even happened. My chest got tight, my brain got loud, and my hands… didn’t post the video.

That’s when it hit me: I wasn’t just planning for the future — I was pre-living outcomes.

Here’s what I mean by that: instead of responding to the moment in front of me, I was running mental simulations of what could happen and judging my current actions by those imagined outcomes. I was living inside a “what if” world instead of the real one.

It felt like wisdom — after all, shouldn’t we think ahead? But the truth is, I wasn’t planning. I was trying to control the future by refusing to move until I could guarantee the outcome. And here’s the problem: you can’t guarantee an outcome you haven’t even begun.

That’s when Proverbs 16 came to mind:

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” (v.9)

God isn’t asking me to pre-live every possible future before I act. He’s asking me to take the next faithful step and trust Him with the steering.

So that’s what this series is about — this week, we’re going to explore what pre-living outcomes is, why our brains love to do it, how it robs us of peace and progress, and how we can step into the now with confidence.

Because living in the moment isn’t irresponsibility. It’s faith in action.

Reflection Question:
Where in your life are you holding back because you’re pre-living an outcome that hasn’t happened yet?