5 Reasons You Don’t Need to Make a Bucket List for Your Life

1. God calls you to embrace the adventure of faith.

Following Jesus is an adventure filled with surprises, challenges, and wonderful blessings. As you step out in faith, God leads you on a journey of discovery and growth, stretching you beyond your comfort zones. Instead of confining yourself to a predetermined list of experiences, embrace the adventure of faith, trusting that God will lead you in ways you can’t predict.

Ephesians 3:20 declares that God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” and when you remove the limits of having a bucket list you welcome God to bring experiences into your life that are even greater. While a bucket list may outline your desired path, God often leads you in unexpected directions that far surpass your own plans. Proverbs 19:21 points out: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”  Instead of rigidly adhering to a predetermined checklist, remain open to God’s guidance and embrace the adventures he has in store for you – even if they differ from your own expectations. When you trust in God’s wisdom, you can journey confidently into the unknown, knowing that God is leading you toward something good.

God promises you in Jeremiah 29:11: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” While worldly pursuits may tempt you with temporary pleasures, your priority as a Christian is to align your life with God’s kingdom values. A bucket list may be filled with self-centered ambitions that don’t have much eternal value, but God wants to lead you on a greater journey of faith. During that journey, God will bless you, but also help you go beyond yourself to pursue purposes that have eternal significance. You won’t regret investing your time and resources in whatever experiences God leads you to – regardless of whether or not those experiences are on a bucket list.

So, accept the challenge from Jesus about God’s kingdom, in Matthew 6:33: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

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2. You need to trust God’s plans for you.

The Bible points out in Proverbs 16:9: “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” Choose to trust in God’s good plans for you by living with purpose and seeking God’s will for the decisions you make. Trusting God’s plans for you means more than just accepting them; it means actively relying on God’s guidance and expecting the best to happen as you do so. When you surrender the desires and ambitions on your bucket list to God, you free yourself up to welcome God’s plans fully into your life.

So, instead of anxiously creating a list of must-do experiences, you can rest assured that God will lead you toward the abundant life that Jesus mentions in John 10:10: “… I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Since God created you and knows you even better than you know yourself, God’s plans for you are intricately woven into the fabric of your soul. God truly knows what’s best for you. He wants to guide you toward your ultimate purpose. God’s plans for you will always give you what you need. While a bucket list often focuses on plans to get worldly pleasures, in Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus reassures you of God’s provision and encourages you not to worry about material needs but to trust in your Heavenly Father’s care.

So, rather than trying to accumulate worldly treasures through a bucket list, rest in the assurance that Philippians 4:19 gives you: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” You may not be able to get everything you mention on a bucket list. But if you place your trust in God, you will never be disappointed.

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3. You need to trust God’s perfect timing for your life.

A bucket list often includes goals with specific timelines. However, you can’t predict when the best timing is to accomplish important goals in your life. Only God knows that. God sees your life from beginning to end, and he has optimal times in mind for you to best fulfill good purposes. Ecclesiastes 3:1 reveals: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

God works according to his perfect timing, orchestrating events in your life for your good. So, instead of imposing your own timelines through a bucket list, embrace God’s timing, trusting that God will fulfill his purposes in your life at the appointed time. God’s timing is always perfect, even when it doesn’t align with your own expectations. Psalm 27:14 encourages you to: “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”

Remember, God’s timing may not always make sense to you, but God sees the bigger picture. Choose to trust in God’s wisdom, knowing that he will faithfully fulfill his promises to you in perfect timing. Do your best to use the gift of each day God gives you to the fullest. Psalm 90:12 says: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Rather than guessing about the best timing for achievements on a bucket list, simply stay in touch with God day by day, and God will lead you to the best timing.

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4. You can find wonder and joy in the present moment.

Fixating on a bucket list can distract you from fully experiencing the blessings of each day. It can cause you to focus so much on the future that you can’t fully enjoy the present. However, embracing the present allows you to recognize God’s goodness in the here and now. An awareness of how each present moment is a gift from God will help you discover the wonder of God’s work in your life. The more you notice and appreciate the wonder of God’s presence in your life – right here and right now – the more joy you can experience.

Psalm 16:11 says of God “you will fill me with joy in your presence”, highlighting God's presence as the place to find true joy. Bucket list activities may bring you happiness, but only God can bring you joy. Happiness is a temporary emotion that’s based on positive circumstances. Joy goes much deeper than happiness. Joy is a lasting strength you can experience in any kind of circumstances. A bucket list often stems from a desire for greater satisfaction or fulfillment. Yet even when you get to check activities off your bucket list, you may feel disappointed, because they may not turn out in the ways you expect. By focusing on your relationship with God, however, you’ll always reliably find joy. So rather than chasing after bucket list items and worrying whether or not you can experience them, pursue wonder and joy in the present instead.

Jesus tells you in Matthew 6:34: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself…”. Every moment is a gift from God. It’s an opportunity to discover and enjoy God’s presence with you. When you are fully present, you can experience wonder and joy in everyday life that far surpasses anything you can check off a bucket list.

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5. God calls you to focus on relationships rather than achievements.

A bucket list is all about achievements. But God calls you to focus on relationships rather than achievements. After a man asked Jesus what is the greatest commandment in God’s law, Jesus gave an answer that reveals what is truly most important in life. Matthew 22:37-39 records: “Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”.

Jesus didn’t mention accomplishing goals you can check off a bucket list. He highlighted the importance of showing love in relationships. So, instead of chasing after solitary achievements, choose to invest in building meaningful relationships with God and those around you, fostering community, and sharing life’s journey together. Authentic relationships enrich your life in ways that material possessions and accomplishments never could. When you prioritize relationships over achievements, your relationships become a reflection of God’s love, which is the most important goal you could ever achieve. As 1 John 4:12 points out: “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

In conclusion, God intends for you to focus on something even greater than a bucket list for your life. Your life is not defined by a checklist of experiences to be checked off before you die, but by your relationship with God. Instead of striving to fulfill your own desires, aim to live the wonderful life that God intends you to live. By trusting in God rather than in a bucket list, you can find true fulfillment.

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