I imagined my life going as follows:
Go to college
Start dating
Get engaged to the first person I dated (because I’m a great judge of character…. no, not really!)
Start a career/business
Live in a loft for a few years until we moved in our dream house (I love the look of a loft!)
Start a family and get one or two huskies.
Sounds great, right? I was so excited to see what “God” had in store for me, but really, I was excited for my plan to come to life…
Oh, how God woke me up, sis! You can’t imagine how much faith I put into my dream plan. Then it happened! Last year, the realization that my life wasn’t following my dream plan hit me like a semi-truck. I was left feeling lost and confused. As I looked around and saw things working out in other people’s lives, I started to wonder is there something wrong with me or did I doing something to make God punish me. But, the loudest question was ” Why me?”
Through everything that happened in the last year and a half, it has been the most awakening and greatest year I’ve had so far. There is so much I’ve learned and gave to God. In return, God has given me a calmness and peace I have never felt before. I wanted to share a few truths that really helped renew my mind and strengthen my faith.
1. God loves us and want the best for us.
In Psalms 139, David writes about what God thinks about us. How He cares about and for us. He knew us before we were even born. Then Jeremiah 29:11 tells us God’s thoughts towards us are of peace, not evil. I mentioned all of that to bring us to Romans 8:1 which tells us that God doesn’t condemn us.
God is not punishing us in any way. Every reason God had for being angry with us was dealt with at Calvary. Our forgiveness is so complete that God is not only free to love us, He can like us as well. God has no reason to punish us. God loves us so much that He wants the best for us which is not always what we want. I think knowing this, help to ease the worry for me.
2. God’s timing teaches patience.
When I tell you there is nothing like having your patience tested by God, I meant there is NOTHING! I was having a conversation about patience with one of my friends and he made this statement:
If we have to ask God: ” Am I patient enough, yet?” That’s a good sign we are still impatient! James Anderson
Well, I have a long way to go then. See, I would be okay with a yes or even a no, but wait! Seriously? If you are like me, being asked to wait without a set deadline is like throwing me into the ocean without knowing how to swim. (Fun fact: I’m actually a decent swimmer.) I never knew how impatient I was until God asked me to wait on a desire I really want. Recently, I read this quote about impatience:
Impatience is triggered when we have a goal and realize it’s going to cost more than what we though to reach it.
Isn’t that the truth? But, God wants us to trust Him enough to wait on Him. There are numerous verses that tells us to wait (Psalm 27:14, Isaiah 40:31, and Psalm 62:6 to name a few.)
I know, sis, easier said than done! But, if we can believe the truth I share in my first point, then I believe God will give us the strength to wait on Him. So, I want us to commit daily to trusting and waiting on God to work things out in our lives instead of trying to make them happen ourselves. He WANTS to bless us, but He will only doing it in His timing and according to His will.
God has you! Just sit back and relax!
3. Everyone’s path is not our path.
This one is still the hardest for me. Especially, when I see my friends getting engaged, married, or starting a family, it is hard to accept that those things are not part of my path at this moment. Comparing my life to others around me has really filled my heart and mind with anxiety, jealousy, and depression.
While listening to a podcast, the following thought was given:
If you are running a race in nature (there is a reason why it is not on a paved track), should you focus on someone’s else path and the steps they’re taking or focus on your path and steps to win?
You would focus on your own path and steps because you are running your race, not theirs. There are going to be branches to step over and holes to avoid on your path that may not be on theirs. And if you are so focused on their steps, you will keep failing at you path.
Life is the same way. In Hebrews 12:1, we are told to “…lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” God created each of us differently to fulfill and accomplish a unique calling and purpose He gave us. Everyone path has different timings and events. We can’t live our life based on someone else path.
Should we be happy for others? Yes, we should be happy and celebrate in others’ successes, but we shouldn’t forget about our own race we are running. We must understand God loves us and want to best for us, letting His timing build our patience, while focusing on the path He put us on.
Are you having a tough time trusting that God has a plan for you? Are you being impatient towards God? What are your thoughts? Let us talk about it! Leave a comment and let me know what’s on your mind. If you have any suggestions for topics you want me cover, let me know. I want to hear from y’all!
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God always has you and will never leave you!
Photo: From Pexel, pexels-nappy-936104
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