How Not To Be Unhappy For The Rest Of Your Life (part 4): Later Is As Real As Now

TO START

Give everyone a piece of paper and a pencil. For five minutes (and five minutes only) have members draw pictures of themselves in twenty years. Encourage them to include a setting, an activity and some other people. If your group is full of people who may not have twenty more years of living, have them draw a picture of their community in fifty years.

What do your imagined futures have in common? How are they different?

What do you need to do today to make that future possible?

 

DISCUSSION

How does it make you feel to hear "The future is as real as now"?

  • Nervous? Excited? Frustrated? Concerned?
  • Why? Elaborate...

Do you have mostly hope for your future or mostly concern? What factors affect how you feel about your future?

Most every choice we make has an impact on tomorrow. Name two things you did this week that will probably have an effect on future you.

Consider the story of Jacob and Esau we talked about on Sunday. Have you ever made a trade like Esau did? Have you ever traded something really big and good in the future for something small right now? How did you feel afterward? Was it worth the trade-off?

What would you say to past you if you had the chance to go back in time? Imagine you're only allowed two pieces of advice.

Take a moment and identify something good for which you'd like to thank "past you." Share with the group.

On Sunday we ended the service with an opportunity to put on Christ in baptism--pretty much the best thing you can do to ensure a happy future. Is there anyone in your group who has any questions about baptism? Spend some time answering them. Do any group members know people at Round Rock who're considering baptism? Pray for those people.

 

SCRIPTURE READING

Read Psalm 37:1-38. Consider the text and make 4 lists:

  • What do the righteous do in the present?
  • What do the wicked do in the present?
  • What happens to the righteous in the future?
  • What happens to the wicked in the future?

 

PRAYER

Have each group member share one way he or she is sabotaging his or her future hopes and dreams (can be big or little). Pray for each member to make better choices and be encouraged.

 

FOR FUN

Want to know how long you'll live? Take a life expectancy predictor quiz! Have group members pull out their phones and answer just eight questions. https://www.myabaris.com/tools/life-expectancy-calculator-how-long-will-i-live/

  • What are the factors contributing to long life? What now choices affect your future?

 

 

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