My granddaughter running to me with open arms & giggles
The smell of grills being stoked in the neighborhood
My dog sitting on my feet under the dinner table
An unexpected, overseas phone call
Watermelon and lemonade
Dangling my feet in a swimming pool
Vacationing with loved ones
"For everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter under heaven..."
-Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
"For surely I know the plans I have for you,
says the Lord, plans for your welfare
and not for harm, to give you
a future with hope."
-Jeremiah 29:11
God tells us in a clear and concise way that He has a plan for our lives and we have a blue print for living each and every day. The problem lies in taking these teachings and putting them into practice. We have our own plan; one that differs sometimes immensely from God's plan. We have our own timing and we get impatient when our timing is not the same as God's. We trick ourselves into believing we are in control of our lives, we've worked hard to accomplish this feat. Then life takes a different turn which may be for the better or the worse but suddenly we realize we are so far from being in control.
As we look back on our lives we become acutely aware of how messed up things would have become if we were the master of our own destiny. I've found that in the long run His plan is always best even if I don't see it His way at the time. (Which makes me laugh even as I type it out: like I know better than God!)
The challenge comes in being still in the seasons of our life, especially the rough ones. Letting my wishes be only suggestions to a good and glorious God Who sees the whole picture, knows all the players, and has the perfect plan for my days here on earth.
Don't you wish we could fast forward through the rough times in our lives? Sometimes God's plan just doesn't fit into our life styles. What's He up to anyway? What lesson is He trying to teach us here?
"...for I give water
in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert..."
-Isaiah 43:20b
Heavenly Father, I know you are all knowing
and Your Word tells me you have a season,
a time and a plan for each
and every day of my life.
Help me to be patient and find delight
in each situation that comes my way.
And most of all, help me to let go
of my desires and rely fully on Your ways,
ways that far exceed my simple mind.
Amen.
