Day 2346 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.
Jeremiah 10:23 NIV
Thinking that we call the shots is just what our egos crave. Control. Power. Authority. And all the pride boosting, arrogance fueling, warm and fuzzy feelings that our conceited human hearts desire. We're taught from early on that man is the master of his own destiny. You can be anything you want, do anything that you want, and live any way that you want to live. And we just eat it up. We become so focused on what we desire that we learn to ignore everything else. And eventually we become so blinded to reality that it shakes us to the core when things don't go our way.
As we've discussed a lot recently, we tend to lean toward what's easy. We usually choose the path of least resistance and most comfort. We loathe the idea of change. We're not too big on anything that requires hard work. We don't like anything that makes us stand out and look different. We don't enjoy things that are hard or force us to admit that we don't know everything. We're just not big on anything that goes against that comfy little lie that tells us we're in control, that we're always right, and that we know what's best for us.
Anyone who has chosen to live by faith will agree that it's not easy. Walking away from what you've always known. Leaving things behind that you once cherished. Learning new ways of thinking and living. Learning to stop focusing on yourself and your desires. Letting go of that illusion of control that you always thought you had. Seeing your path start to diverge from those around you. Walking through the land of the lost and living differently than the majority of the world around you. None of it is easy. None of it is comfortable. But all of it leads to a way of life that will show us a new kind of peace and hope that we never experienced before.
Looking back on who I was and how I lived years ago is always weird now. It's all so different that it almost doesn't seem real. So many changes have been made. So many things that I've moved on from. So many tough battles that my family and I have been through. I wouldn't have chosen any of it. I wouldn't have picked this path that was loaded with tough days and big changes. I would have stayed the same. I would have avoided the hard days, skipped the hard work, and missed the chance to be who I am today. That's why I can honestly say that I wouldn't change any of it. Because I know that God has been leading me all along and His plans are already better than anything I would have found on my own.
And He's just getting started!
Friends, I know it's not easy to let go. It's not easy to give up that feeling of control. It's not easy to loosen our grip on our hopes and dreams and trade them in for the unknown of God's will. But I also know that none of this is under our control anyway. None of this is about what we want or what we think is best for us. It's not about what's easy, normal, popular, or comfortable. God has written our stories. We're either actively living them or trying to avoid them so we can write our own. We may want life to go a certain way. We may have all of these selfish priorities that make sense to us. But we can also look back and see what living our way has gotten us.
So while trying to make our own path to what we want may seem right to us, it will never lead us to anything close to what God's path holds. It's like that show Let's Make A Deal. Door #1 holds everything we have ever dreamed of. Door #2 holds the mystery of God's plans for us. Getting everything we ever wanted would sure be nice. But choosing that and seeing Door #2 open with more than we ever thought was possible would sure suck! God's plans may be a mystery, but He sees what's behind both doors, and He tells us that His way better. As for me, I'm trusting in His path. And you?
Comments
Post a Comment