There are some people in the world who seem to have everything together. They have every step in their lives planned out, from the time that they wake up in the morning until the time that they lie down to go to sleep at night, and even 10 or 15 years down the road, they have a plan set out for themselves. But what happens to people like this when the perfect plan doesn't work out just how they imagined or planned that it would? I know that within even the last few months, I have gone through several changes of heart when it comes to my future. It has been hectic, it has been crazy, it has been especially scary, but it has been worth it, and this is why.
Before we are ever even thought into existence by our parents, God already knows exactly who we will be. He has a perfect plan for our lives already set apart, a purpose that is different from anyone else's, a plan that will reap so many more benefits for His kingdom and glorification than we could ever imagine possible. Although this sounds perfect and wonderful, which it is, the path to getting here isn't quite so smooth. We have to go down many paths, some that are unnecessary that we choose to go down based on human feelings and emotions, and some that are difficult and full of temptation but that God leads us out of if we fully rely on Him.
Sometimes, even when we are on a good path, one that is pleasing to God and is full of great things that accomplish His will, the path suddenly comes to a screeching halt and the door closes. We try and go around, push on the door, even climb through a window, but it is all done in vain because there is no getting around the closed door. When this happened to me recently, I was devastated, lost, and worried that I would be so behind with classes and with life in general because I had worked toward a completely different career path up until the middle of my junior year in college.
However, what I quickly learned was that when I took the time to take a step back from being focused on the closed door, I was able to see the new door that God opened for me that led to a new yet ultimately better path right on the other side, just as long as I was willing to go through.
I was hesitant to go down this new path because it was so far out of my comfort zone. I'm still scared for what is to come, but I'm also excited because I know that I will not fail because it is God's plan for my life. I know that even though it will be a tough road and I have a lot of catching up to do, God will carry me when I am weak, protect me when I am under siege, and catch me whenever I fall.
Even though God closed the door to one area of my life, even though He said "no" to my plan for my life, it was only because His plan is so much greater than mine, and even if I can't see it right now, He makes all things work together for our good. Although a closed door, a firm no, and a changed plan can be disheartening and discouraging, God changes your path for a reason, and for a better one than anything that you had planned for yourself. If we can keep this in mind as our lives change, it will make the confusion and the chaos worth it.
