What happens when life isn't what you planned?
I once worked with a young woman who planned to be a millionaire by the time she reached 40. I wonder if she achieved her goal?
I didn't see her having much of a life of her own. I'm not saying that it's wrong to put your personal life on hold for a time, but you've got to be sure your priorities are in order.
I know that she was working many hours through several jobs and going to RN school at the same time. She planned to open her own temporary employment agency.
The first and most important part of a planning strategy is to have your heart right with God. He's not going to direct you in his work until it is. That doesn't mean he won't use you, because he will. If he could use a stiff necked Pharaoh, he can use us even when we are stubborn or maybe even defiant. Just read about Moses and the Pharaoh.
But a willing heart ready to be molded and used is his desire. There's so much he can do with someone who's willing to let the Power of God work in their life.
There have been times that what I was trying to do moved so swiftly and effortlessly, I knew God was in charge, everything went so well. But then there were times that I seemed to dig and scratch and plow every step of the way, and at times felt like I was going backward. Was God in it? Yes! But, I was trying to do it myself and God new it so he allowed me to go right ahead.
I'm reminded about the farmer whose harvest was so great that he had to build other storage houses to store it. Then all of a sudden the Lord said, You fool, tonight your soul is required of you.
All for nothing.
If our goals are ours alone, are they truly worth the sacrifice?
Ask yourself these questions: Has God been consulted? What is it that he wants for you? Could we be foolish enough to think that just because things are moving along the way they were planned that it must be what God wants?
Then how do we know when what we're doing is what God wants of us? Peace of mind!
I've struggled to accomplish things that "I've" wanted and I've struggled to accomplish things that I knew "God" wanted. The difference was peace of mind. Me being in charge vs God being in charge. That's the secret. When God's in charge all things do work together for those who are called--according to his purpose.
It may not always work easily but he is quite capable of bringing to completion what he has begun. It's his work not ours.
When we find that what we are trying to accomplish is not what God desires we are better off to let it drop right where it is. Better having wasted a little time than a lot.
If we're really smart, We'll check in with Him before we even start. It just may save a lot of time and energy, also a lot of money.
But we aren't always smart. He knows that and he allows us to keep working at what we want until we figure out that it wasn't what we really wanted at all.
Can you see - that's the other side of God's will. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what would truly please us. He brings people into our lives that make us stronger, lovelier, and more loving. He loves us more than we can even begin to comprehend.
So what happens when life doesn't turn out the way we thought it would?
We dust ourselves off, Grab hold of PaPa's hand and start out again. We thank him for what we've learned. There have been times that I've found that I need to ask, what can I learn from this?
Some one said that if there's time we can start out on a new journey. Well if we've one breath left - there's time. The journey with God begins with one breath, one step. The journey is an unbelievable, breath taking experience.