Proverbs 16:9
We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
One year ago today, Greg and I were in Arlington, Texas, loading up my niece, her husband and three children – and moving them back to Arkansas. When I was her age (23), I would have never believed anyone who told me that someday we would be so actively involved in the lives of children ages 4, 2, and 1. Even at age FORTY-THREE, I would not have imagined this! We did not have children… we felt God sent us in a different direction - and we planned accordingly.
When we retired in 2005, I was not even fifty years old. My “retirement plans” included spending time with Greg and our two cats, exploring lots of writing projects – blogs, music, and articles for “content” websites, antiquing, catching up on the stacks of books I had purchased and never read… and much more. God has allowed me to fulfill some of these plans… just not in the way I had envisioned them. I now write mostly devotionals and a few blog posts…my “antiquing phase” has greatly waned… and I play the piano and guitar about once a week for an hour or so – or when the children visit. Many of those books I bought are still on the shelf - waiting to be read.
My “retirement plans” have taken a pretty sharp turn… but the results have been no less blessed or fulfilling. Our home has frequently been filled with the noise of at least one – and sometimes two or three babies and toddlers. Watching this family grow and develop has been an unexpected joy. I am so grateful that God gave me such a compatible mate. Greg and I spend virtually every waking moment together, and we still enjoy each other’s company after almost 40 years of marriage. Our 14-year-old cats have learned to tolerate frequent visits from little ones who love to chase them… and yes, I think that is somewhat God’s doing, as well. I was able to provide the necessary care for my grandmother in her last years and spend a lot of time with her – or doing things behind the scenes with regard to her care. Now that she is gone, those memories – even the less than happy ones – sustain me.
God has shifted my focus… and I am trying to stay alert to His plans for my life instead of my own. I’m a slow learner, but I’m learning nonetheless… that each day has its own ebb and flow – and blessings. The key is to choose to see them! I can plan the way I want to live… but only God will make me able to live it. And on the days when things don’t go according to my plans, I can choose to be upset – or to look for God’s hand in the shifting… and work with what He allows. I can clearly see that God has been orchestrating the events of my life from the very beginning… with some fairly amazing experiences and outcomes. Why on earth would I want to start trying to tell Him how to run things now?
What about you? Are you planning the way you want to live and fully expecting everything to go just as you designed it? Are you frustrated, angry and upset when things do not materialize as you expected? Isn’t it time you recognize God’s hand in making us able to live out our plans… and embrace the changes He allows and/or arranges? I promise you… God is at work in every single detail of our lives. It is up to us to see this… and to acknowledge His presence. How we react to the events of our lives is totally up to us. What will you choose to do?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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