“The meek will He guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach His way.” Psalm 25:9
To enjoy life more fully, I’ve learned my hands must be opened, ready to receive all God has to give me. Life isn’t all we think it should be, but that’s okay. Life doesn’t have to measure up to our expectations.
We can be at rest, because we have the knowledge that our Lord knows. It’s difficult to let go of our expectations. It’s sort of like the story of the little girl refusing to give up her fake pearls to her daddy so he could give her the real thing.
Practically speaking, I find it terribly hard to let go of my plan. I’m usually secure and comfortable with my goals at the first, and excited about seeing the fruition of all my work. Then something happens. I change my mind or circumstances change or I find something seemingly better. Unfortunately, behind me is a trail of unfinished or ill thought plans that never made it to fruition or didn’t come to fruition until much later.
There was the time I decided to go to college, but after a couple of semesters, the process just seemed too long. I couldn’t schedule the courses I wanted. Then a cute little dog got run over in front of my eyes by another car on the way home. I quit. Years and years later, I revisited my goal and finished it.
I didn’t really want to study cosmetology. It happened because I needed high school credits. It was a new class and no one really understood what it was. During the first class, I realized I was on my way to a career path I didn’t want. Okay, this is one I completed, but my heart wasn’t in it. I worked hard, trying to make it work, wishing I could quit. It was definitely a decision I had left God out of. Years and years later, I changed career paths, moving into business. This wasn’t a total lost cause, for I still use my skills, and I did come to the place where I was comfortable with my skill level.
Then there was caregiving duties. My husband and I took care of a close relative and later we took in foster girls. Wow! This one was tough. We prayed over these decisions, and felt God leading. Sometimes though, we superimpose our thoughts without really hearing from God. That’s okay, He can fix it. We finished well, even though half way through each experience I was ready to quit again.
One thing I did right was my marriage. God was definitely in that plan, even to the point of bringing it all about. Love, blessings, and joy have characterized this beautiful relationship. He is definitely a part of our marriage and center of our home.
There is an important concept here I have learned. We make mistakes, but God is ever ready to redeem them into something so much better. HE gives us the grace to complete our journey. He enables and equips us to do the hard things, especially the things we want to run from. He gives us the dignity to overcome failures with a gracious spirit.
I praise the Lord for a faithful God who loves me and gets me back on track living the life He planned for me.
Copyright © 2011 by Linda Hull, Words of Encouragement
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