Thoughts of the Future

I really love the above picture. As soon as I saw it I thought it was ironic as that sign is tangible and certain unlike the future which is none of those things.

"We spend our whole lives worrying about the future. Planning for the future. Trying to predict the future. As if figuring it out would somehow cushion the blow. But the future is always changing. The future is the home of our deepest fears and our wildest hopes. But one thing is certain, when it finally reveals itself, the future is never the way we imagined it."

So for a while, I've been keeping a book of quotes and inspirational sayings and thoughts. My mom has gotten in on it, and now the book consists my favourite quotes, as well as quotes that my mom thinks will be beneficial to me throughout everyday life.
The above quote is one of my favourites, and serves for really good food for thought.

Recently, two guys in my age range died unexpectedly. This really unnerved alot of people who were close to the two guys, and really served as an eye opener for some. Both of the guys were very involved in church and church related activities, and considered good guys. When looking at the ages of the guys, they were young and definitely had their whole lives ahead of them, and now they are gone.

The whole incident really got me thinking, its not like i didn't know some of these things before (like about life etc) but it just reinforced them. You could be here today, and gone tomorrow. The future isn't certain, as the path you are walking on could change at any moment. What are you certain of in one instant could be gone in another.
When flicking through tv channels, channel after channel you see people predicting when the world is going to come to an end, and what the earth is going to look like when all of the humans are gone. Honestly, is this necessary??

I've recently continued reading a christian series called the Left Behind Series, the series is basically about The Rapture (when God comes for his people), the people that are 'left behind' and the trials and tribulations they go through.
Now in no way am I trying to force my religion on anyone as I like to think of myself as an open-minded person, and it's not in my place for me to judge anyone.
As you sit and evaluate yourself, this is your life... are you who you want to be?
In the book there are "the comings of Christ"...1st coming is where the saved are taken to heaven to be with God. As our God is a merciful God, there is a 2nd coming where those who didn't make it in the f1st coming, are given a chance to be saved.
Where do you fit in those groups? Would you rather waste time and be faced with a situation where you aren't able to make it into any of the two groups?

Those were just some of the questions I was asking myself recently. And as no one is perfect, I am definitely not perfect, and I'm still a work in progress. As a young person, we are all surrounded by all sorts of negative things, but we've all got to keep our heads down and stick to the task.
In re-reading what i've written in this entry so far, I hope I do not come across as bossy. I just don't want to see myself or any of my loved ones getting left behind, especially when we are always given the chance to make amends.
Its true that the future is not certain, but while we are here on earth, we can be the best we can be...live hard, play hard, laugh, love, smile, pray, appreciate...and i'm sure that if we do those things, our future or our end won't be all speculation, but a certainty =]