At the moment I’m sitting here with a hole in my face and a cast on my hand. The outcome of pursuing a dream I feel like God has put within my heart. I hear people talk about Gods timing and his perfect plan. That should get me to relax and trust that I’ll bounce back and things will work out all in Gods time. However, all I can think about is getting back on my bike and doing all that I can to make what I think is Gods will for my life come to pass. That’s the problem.
When we think we know what Gods will is we try to make it happen. We work on our own to bring about what we feel should be the next step in Gods plan. If only we could learn to hand God the reigns and realize that each bump in the road is not a hindrance, merely a stumbling block along the path that God has placed before us. Those stumbling blocks can be put in our way by the devil and wreak all kinds of havoc on our pursuit of following God. They should not stop us, we know that God will never give us more than we can handle. But at times they can slow us down as they cause us to doubt, question, and look for other ways or opportunities to get where we think God wants us to be. If we could only learn to relinquish control, and trust that every bump on the road was allowed by God, perhaps for our growth, our safety or any number of other reasons. We would not get ahead of ourselves in thinking that we are bringing about the will of God.
If I could look into a crystal ball and see an end result for my life, be it marriage, a career or a specific accomplishment, I would automatically start doing everything I could to bring that about. I would rush right through the first open door that looks like it might be able to get me there, never paying attention as to whether that is God's specific plan. We tend to take it upon ourselves; "since we know this is God's plan this must be his way of getting us to that end result."
God in His infinite wisdom doesn't allow us to see that end result. Instead he places desires on our hearts and requires us to act in faith that where He is leading is where He wants us to go. I believe He gives us just enough to keep pursuing, keep moving forward, in His time, toward the end result that He has for us. We must learn to follow those "divine nudges" and even the desires in our hearts, but not be so zealous that we forget the one who gave us that desire. In the end it;s His plan four our lives and we must submit to His way of accomplishing whatever He wants to do through us.
Seth, You are a GREAT writer! Keep it up. What you were saying reminds me of a poem by Corrie Ten Boom about the bottom of a canvas that looks all ratty with knots and threads, but from the top, it's a beautiful picture:
ReplyDeleteMy life is but a weaving between my God and me,
I do not choose the colors; He works so steadily. Oft times He weaves in sorrow, and I in foolish pride, Forget He sees the upper, and me the underside. Not till the loom is silent, and the shuttles cease to fly, Will God unroll the canvas, and explain the reason why. The dark threads are as needful in the weavers skillful hand As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned.
My Dad takes it a step further and says: God pushes that needle down through the tapestry to us, and we're on the underside, and it's our job to push that needle right back up through to God, in faith, even though we don't understand - but trusting that He knows what He's doing.