Life's good. Everything is going well and you think you have everything planned out. Your plan and God's plan seem to be lined up hand in hand. But then something happens and things aren't going so well anymore. It happens to the best of us.
As a college student that is approaching adulthood, crisis sometimes seems constant. What I think is best for me isn't always the case. And sometimes I have a hard time letting go of what I want. But who am I to think that my plans are better than the plans of the one that knit me together in His very hands? I have to remind myself daily that His plans are better than anything I could ever think of; that my perspective of my life is narrow and His is broad. He has the greater judgement, always.
Frequently, I find crisis at my feet and feel as if God has wrecked my plans and seemingly my heart. And I'm hurt. At this point, we have two options. Option A, turn to God during this time; or option B, try to take care of everything ourselves. I have chosen the latter far too many times and let me tell you from experience, it's not pretty.
Choosing option A is not going to be easy, but it is the best choice. It includes thankfully turning to God, acknowledging your weakness, surrendering to Him and submitting to His will. His grace is justified by the cross. Our Father has proven over and over again that He is faithful and for our good.
My favorite book of the Bible is Ruth. Ruth is a widow. I'm sure that her wants or plans did not include her husband dying. She relentlessly and selflessly follows her mother-in-law, Naomi, to Bethlehem after his death. Ruth was a Moabite, and her people weren't exactly best friends with the people of Bethlehem. Ruth probably would have been better off returning to her hometown, Moab, but she clung to Naomi and followed her to this strange land where her future is unknown. Ruth serves her mother-in-law by going to a field that belongs to a man named Boaz and picks up leftover grain to feed them. Boaz is a really good guy. In the end, Ruth ends up marrying Boaz and they have a son. It seems as if God isn't really doing much in this story, but at the end the reader finds out that Ruth and Boaz's son will be a crucial part in the genealogy of Jesus. How faithful and good is He; I'm sure that Ruth did not at all expect this to come of her failed plans. God's plan was for Ruth's good and a whole lot of other people's good. It is truly amazing how He used her life.
C.S. Lewis said "It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
Dang. C.S. Lewis has a way with words and wisdom that get me every time. However, he is so right. Trusting in God's plans is the biggest and best thing that we could ever do.
Therefore, I will no longer be bonded to my plans. I will cling to my Father's promises and remember that He is ever good and faithful. His plans are now my plans, and I am confident that He will never fail me.
