We need to think creatively about how the future can unfold. And we need to free ourselves from the unrealistic expectation of fraudulent certainty. Circumstances will change, new decisions points will appear, and there will be times in our lives when the next step is unclear. Understanding this tension is critical. It is the difference between you possessing a plan and a plan possessing you
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
One of my favorite phrases ever is “But God..”
And it’s always found in only the best stories.
Earlier this year, I was pumped and primed, heading in one direction for a number of months when suddenly I hit this awful wall and everything seemed to be falling apart. My grand plans were shattered, leaving me with a searing sting of uncertainty, pain, loss and confusion. Everything I worked so hard for seemed to collapse. A total re-routing of my plans, massive upheaval and last minute scrambling brought me to a place in life I never thought I’d end up and never saw coming.
But in the midst, with a broken heart, my eyes were opened, suddenly made aware of so many things I hadn’t seen clearly before because I had been blinded by own comfort zone. My life, though it appeared to have fallen apart, was falling into place, only I didn’t know it at the time. I’d cry out to God, “I believe, but please help my unbelief.” Because I did believe. I knew firsthand that God rescues, restores, heals, breaks plans for the better, has our best interest in mind, uses bad for good, is able to turn around situations. I knew, but it didn’t change my dismay.
It was then that my priorities started to fall into place and I was reminded of what truly mattered in life. My own personal comfortable life was super cozy, maybe too much so. The darkness was needed so I’d recognize and be moved and changed by the light. In some strange sense, looking back, I can be thankful for the pain, the loss, the dark season of life, because without it, I wouldn’t have moved on to the next level and I would’ve missed out on some of the greatest blessings that could have ever happened.
I saw people differently and realized what they truly meant to me. In fact, I was seeing everything in a new light, through a new lens, and it was liberating, but wouldn’t have happened without the unforeseen turmoil and distress. Thank God for the change of perspective it brought. I would’ve missed so much.
Sent in a new direction, I went forward with the only path that was left before me. I trusted God enough to yield and bend and go, despite my fears, despite my unbelief, despite my feelings of having been let down by life. And with the new direction, everything I needed for the change of plans was provided for. One by one, little by little, life went from upheaval to falling back into place, on a much more exciting, uncertain and adventurous path that required even more faith and trust but led to blessings far greater than anything I had previously known. So much so that it made the sting of my own shattered plans well worth it.
