Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own;
it is not for them to direct their steps. – Jeremiah 10:23
13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” – James 4:13-15
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6
Don’t these verses tell a story? They provide insight into our magnificent God and the difference between His responsibilities and ours. If I didn’t write a single word and just posted these verses, they would do their job all by themselves, but I can’t help but echo their message.
My life is not my own. Your life is not your own. I get that more and more as time goes on. I am not in charge, and if I was in charge, it would be an absolute mess. The things I would have chosen would not have led to where I am, and where I am going.
Where am I going, you may ask. Who knows! This life is an incredible adventure, and I have so little to do with the planning process its hilarious. God has been giving me the desires of my heart and it’s amazing to live in His will. He knew just what I needed, and He knows what I will need next.
Not everything He gives me is for pleasure. Not every task He sets before me is for comfort or even success. He gives me what I need to grow into the woman He created me to be and the woman who will complete the work He has planned for me.
I used to make my own decisions… or did I? I guess God will have to show me which decisions where His and which were mine but, but I know I tried to be in charge. In the past I didn’t care what God had planned and, in my pride, ran headlong into things that I thought were the right thing only to find that I was wrong.
I also clung onto the things I wanted or thought that I needed. Whitney decided and tried to hang on to the things God was taking. It can be so painful to lose something so dear like a friend, a home, or an opportunity, but if we don’t release when God asks us to, we can do some serious damage.
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. – Proverbs 16:3
I used to look at this verse and think that it meant “Bring God your plans and tell Him you are doing for Him and He will make your plans happen.” I see something different now. It looks more like… “Submit even the concept of having your own plans to God! Let Him show you what His plans are and He will bless those”
We have so much transition happening as a family right now. Some painful, some exciting, and some still unclear, but I’m learning how God plans and life can change out of the blue. Something ends and something new begins. I’m learning to see the signs of the changing seasons.
As I have walked with God, our relationship has grown. I know Him better now than the last time we had a huge transition. I trust Him more and hear Him more clearly. My husband and children are the same. Closer, clearer, more trusting. Yahweh is trustworthy! We feel Him closer. We hear Him more clearly.
It’s amazing to watch God redeem the wrong steps that I have taken. If I think I have ruined everything He steps in and heals. He makes up for lost time and can literally change the clock and speed things up or slow them down. Nothing I do wrong is ever too far gone for Him to use for my good and His glory.
He is in charge of my steps so I will wait till He tells me what is next. In the meantime, I will serve Him and steward the assignments that He has already given me. My job is to lean in to hear what He is saying and obey. I am learning to lean on His words and not my own understanding. I am learning to submit my plans, and not to be too sure what tomorrow holds.
Luckily I serve the One who knows what is next, and I know every move we make will be for His glory and His alone.
Mark your calendars for our Women’s Fall Retreat in Montpelier, VA September 4-6!
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