“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” ~Jeremiah 29:11
OK, Lord. I’ll follow and trust. Such a simple reply, but this has been such a struggle lately. Sometimes I think it’s easier to just pity myself and move on. I tend to forget, or choose to move the fact to the nose bleed seats of my mind, that there is a beautiful truth in that verse. Even when we are going through the deepest, darkest pits of life, God has complete control of the plans for our lives. In the midst of darkness, He is the Light. He has no pleasure in seeing us hurt, but He knows that there is an amazing outcome to the icky, sticky situations we get in to in life. You want to know something even greater? He is even with us in the good times. Rejoicing with us. Even in the best times, we must rely on God. He deserves all the attention in any situation. He is so good and so mighty and so unbelievably loving. Isn’t it great?!
Then why is it so hard to trust and follow? Like I said, this has been weighing on my heart lately. Adoption, the past, the future plans, finances, health, our students, and you fill in the blank for your own lives. So many things to ‘worry’ about, but what is so perfect is that God is so almighty! He turns our worries into mush when we can just be content in Him and know that every teeny-tiny situation to the biggest inconvenience ever, is part of a beautiful plan for our life. Believe me friends, I am struggling with this right now. My idea in sharing, is that maybe you to will be reminded of how precious we are to God and every case of cancer, sickness, family death, friendships lost, bullying, infertility, and just plain heartache is part of a plan not to hurt you, but to grow you closer to a God who has an amazing future planned for you. How can that not make us smile? Even in the valley!
“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” ~1 Peter 5:7