ASSOCIATE Magazine FBINAA Q2-2025

A MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAPLAIN

FBINAA.ORG | Q2 2025

Mike Hardee

Are We Ready for What Comes Next?

I n Jeremiah 29:11 KJV we read that God declares that He has a plan for us: “...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give hope and a future.” Yet life does not always seem in sync with that Master Plan. We experience setbacks and loss, defeat and discouragement, pain and sorrow. In Proverbs 3:5-6 we’re told that we must “ Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own under standing. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” In other words, even when it seems all is lost, we are to believe that it’s all part of God’s Plan. That’s not always easy. There have been many times that I was not only not thinking about whether I was living God’s Plan, but I was also actively ignoring it. Scripture teaches us that He is a compassionate and forgiving God; that He hears our prayers and knows what is in our hearts. If so, he certainly had a lot of patience waiting for me to catch up. But I believe that getting in the habit of asking yourself, “Am I ready for what comes next?” is one way to develop trust in what God has in store for each of us. Are We Ready for What Comes Next? Being prepared to face the everyday dangers and challenges of our profession has been instilled in all of us from the very beginning of basic law enforcement training, and over the years those survival skills continue to improve. To visualize a situation and focus our energy when respond ing to an emergency call without hesitation, we train our bodies and minds to survive the moment. Rehearsing scenarios, plan ning our route, our arrival, and the outcome in the most acute detail prepares us for what comes next. We spend an enormous amount of time and energy training for that moment when we must protect others and live to talk about it. Yet as much as we train ourselves to anticipate and be prepared, things can go bad in an instant. It’s how we react when things go awry that determines our true success or failure. Proverbs 16:9 says, “In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” In other words, “Man plans, and God laughs.” Sound familiar? We can conceptualize what the future looks like but in real ity, we are only exercising our imagination. “Since no man knows the future, who can tell him what is to come?” Ecclesiastes 8:7 So how do we prepare for what comes next? In the book, “Life’s Daily Blessings,” Rabbi Terry Bookman writes: “How we respond to daily challenges by reaping the benefits and accept ing the burdens is always our choice. We may not be in control of the world around us, but we are in control of our response.” Controlling our response to each other presumably can alter the results. What we say and how we say it seems to require a conscious choice.

I can only testify to my personal relationship with God, and I can say that I am living proof that the Lord has his hand on my shoulder or at least a few of his angels do. Like many of you I have tested Him on more than one occasion and yet He keeps asking me back into his loving arms. There is a good chance I would have missed His calling if I had not experienced disap pointment, fear, and failure. If only I had not done some of the things that I have done, said some things I should not have said, or thoughts that did not align with His teachings. But I also be lieve it all led me to Him. We’re told that to know the Lord is to experience forgive ness, comfort, and happiness. Seems simple—easy to do—but it’s not. For there is darkness, sadness, confusion, and the unknowing of what we may think the future holds. But it’s that very darkness that can lead us to Him. When we feel the pain of suffering from a sickness, the loss of a friend or family member, it opens the way for us to ask God for help. So, too, when we have wronged someone or damaged a relation ship, we may feel the need to make it right by asking God for forgiveness in prayer. When we have disappointed ourselves and our loved ones with greed and possessions, we can ask God for strength to treat others with compassion and care, in prayer. When we know that we are making the wrong decisions, and it’s not what God would have wanted us to do, we can ask for mercy. Perhaps when we are overwhelmed with fear, or are feeling inadequate, we simply ask the Lord to hold our hand and walk with us awhile. In Isaiah 41:13 the Lord says: “Do not fear, I will help you.” “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV

Speaking from my own experience, I have no other explana tion for why and how I am still here writing this today, other than I have called on God in prayer for strength many times when I

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