God is Planning for Us

Happy weekend!

Something that I tend to struggle with, no matter how many times I’m told that I don’t need to freak out about my future, is trying to control what will happen. I can’t seem to grasp that I can’t decide my future. I don’t get to declare which dreams I will accomplish.

Every place I look, I see and hear people trying to tell me what to pursue and all of them conflict. I begin to panic with how many opinions I am receiving and how conflicting they are. My inboxes are overflowing with colleges telling me to come to their college. The amount of ads for college and self-help things I see on social media feels like an attack. I can’t tell if they want me or if they want the money.

I tell myself that I can do this, but as soon as one thing starts to spin out of control, I lose any grip I had. I begin to spiral with my plans. I fall and I refuse to get back up either because I don’t want to or don’t think I can.

God has my life in his hands. I struggle to accept this, because I just want to be in control. I want everything to be perfect and I freak out when it’s not just the way I want it to be.

I have such a small area of control, but I keep trying to expand it by trying to steal God’s control. I claim that His control should be mine every time I try and go beyond the boundaries He has set.

God has control for many reasons, and one of those reasons is He is the only One who knows what is to come. I may not like that He has control, but if it means that I get to spend eternity with Him, then I can work to stop trying to plan out every little detail of my life.

The phrase “best laid plans of mice and men” is more true than I like to think, because we think that we know when our lives will end and what will happen in our lifetime, but just like mice we are blind to what God has already decided for us.

The world tells us to look at this world and the future we have here, but we should really be planning for what lies in the next world.

We need to think about our eternal destination, not the short term hotel. I don’t want to plan for riches to be stored at the hotel, because when the hotel burns down I have nothing left. Store up your treasures at home.

I don’t want to plan too far ahead, but I also don’t want to have too short a map. I’ll continue to plan what needs to be, but I won’t have a map of where I must be five years from now. I want God to help me to know just how much to think about, I want to lean on God for the future.

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Prayer:

Lord, thank You for yet another beautiful weekend that we get to enjoy. Thank You for the air in our lungs. It is such a blessing to know that You are in control. You hold every moment in Your hands and You make sure that everything happens the way you planned for it to happen. Thank You for countless moments of joy that we have gotten to experience.

Lord, please help this world as we continue to live in a state of fear and in hatred. Please help us to grow in love, but to not forget what You want for us. Help us to fight the evils of this world and guide others away from evil. Please use our words and actions this week to glorify You and to make a difference.

Thank You for every day that we get to experience. In your beautiful, loving Name, Amen!