There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow

This past week demonstrates the pressures of daily living. While our family and my brother’s family enjoyed some time in Florida, my friends in various places underwent suffering. One dear friend’s dad and granddad both were in a horrific accident and medevaced to a local hospital in very serious condition, another dear friend lost her husband to cancer, and still yet another friend found out he had two different types of very aggressive lymphoma. All of these things in my mind as we headed into Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress where the featured song is There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.

Over the years this ride has served as one of my favorites with our children. Usually we head into Tomorrowland during the afternoon to sit through this presentation as well as enjoy the cool of the People Mover. I enjoy the nostalgia of the story of American progress throughout the twentieth century. At the bottom of today’s blog, you can see the entire show from a YouTube video.

But this week, the song There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow hit me differently as I prayed for my friend and her family, my other friend in her sorrow, and my other friend who is entering into a rough season with lymphoma. On this Sunday, let me share a simple idea with you.

There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow – the Song

In this presentation at Walt Disney World, Jean Shephard and others sing There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow by Richard and Robert Sherman as the theme song for the Carousel of Progress. Here are the simple lyrics that are sung multiple times throughout the show:

Catchy tune. Simple words and simple idea. Tomorrow will be great if you follow your dreams.

There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow – the Reality

For those who love Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him, this song represents a much greater reality than encouraging someone to follow his or her dreams.

For those three friends that I mentioned above and who were on my mind as our family entered this attraction, there is indeed a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!

Regarding not understanding all of God’s plan over time, the Apostle Paul wrote:

But as it is written:

The Apostle Paul looked toward the bright future when he wrote:

Discussing hope, the Apostle Paul wrote:

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. (Rom 8:28-30)

These verses are just the beginning. They simply scratch the surface of what God has in store for those who love Him.

Notice this key text from the Apostle Paul as well:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Cor 4:16-18)

On This Sunday… Take Heart My Friends

On this Sunday, take heart my friends! There is a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!

The great, big, beautiful tomorrow does not emanate from you following your dreams. No, the great, big, beautiful tomorrow comes from God’s promises and His authority. If you have a personal relationship with God, He promises you a great, big, beautiful tomorrow. As the Apostle Paul also wrote, we long for that day (Rom 8:18-25).

Full Show

The following YouTube presentation presents the entire show with some advertisements from a travel site. You can read the history of the show at this link.

Image Credit blogmickey.com