Let's See What God Will Do Next...

I thought 2010 was the year of adventure.  I have a feeling God's just getting warmed up for 2011!  I look back at the last several years of my life, and I have to chuckle.  The road I am walking now is certainly not the path I had mapped out for myself at the time.  I still remember being in high school:  young, ambitious, and feeling like I could succeed at anything.  I was ready to change the world the moment I received that diploma.  I didn't REALLY know what the future would hold, but I had a pretty good idea which way I wanted it to go.  


Isn't it interesting how quickly things can change, and how differently they can end up?  Proverbs 16:9 says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."  When I was in high school, I said "I'm never going to be a teacher".  Poof!  Four years later I get a degree in Family & Consumer Science Education and sign-up for my first big-kid job as a high school teacher.  Many years ago, after taking an accounting class I said, "I'm never going to be an accountant".  Now I'm delving into Credits and Debits, Payables and Receivables on a daily basis as a bookkeeper for a small engineering company.  Funny how things work out. :)


Now-a-days I feel a little nervous whenever I think to myself "Oh, I'll never do that," or "I'm not any good at that," because God seems to have a way of testing me in those areas, and drawing out the things I'd most like to keep under wraps.  I guess I'm still a toddler in His eyes...not ready to shed the training wheels.  There always seems to be something new to learn.  Picture a baby:  first he has to roll-over.  Then, when he gets that down, he learns to raise his head.  Soon after comes sitting up, then crawling, then he can pull-himself up, and then finally walking.  Although a major milestone, even walking still isn't the end.  There's always running and skipping, and oh...the stairs to go up and down.  It seems the whole life process is about learning and growth...there's always a new challenge to face, whether it's figuring out Jr. High coordination, recovering from a physical injury, overcoming a disability, or struggling with the aging body.  

In any aspect of our lives, God never lets us get too comfortable for too long.  Once we've explored all there is in one area, he wants to take our hand and lead us to new territory.  It reminds me of the ending to C.S. Lewis's The Last Battle, the final installment in The Chronicles of Narnia.  Repeatedly there is a call to move "further up and further in" as the children and creatures of Narnia journey through Aslan's Country towards the New Narnia.  Although each new sight and sound is more wonderful than the next the "come further up and further in" is a reminder to not get stuck in a rut.  As long as we keep growing it's only going to keep getting better.  God has more adventures and delights in store for me as long as I keep moving along with Him.  For me, the promise we have through Jesus that better things are to come is very comforting in a world where changes happens quickly and things aren't always what they seem.  Even though it doesn't make sense to me, or I can't understand how everything is going to fit together, it doesn't mean that it wasn't in God's plan or that he can't use it for good.


I always like to say that every life experience is valuable, no matter how insignificant or unusual it may seem at the time.  I still have some qualms about where I'm at and what I'm supposed to be doing, but I know that the Potter is at work, at that each turn of the wheel, each touch of His hand, and each time in the fire is shaping me for some glorious work he has in store for me.  God doesn't make mistakes, and He can always see the Master Plan.


"See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."  Isaiah 43:19


Let's See What God Will Do Next...

70 Resolutions for 2011

Happy New Year!

Tis the season for New Year's Resolutions...have you come up with any yet?
I wanted to share a link to Jim Daly's blog, which includes a list of seventy resolutions written by Jonathan Edwards (at age 19!).  All though Edwards vocabulary is a little tricky to navigate sometimes, his resolutions are thought-provoking and clearly show the focus of his life.  Check out JE's list...then maybe you'll come up with some more New Year's Resolutions of your own.

http://www.focusonlinecommunities.com/blogs/Finding_Home/2010/12/30/resolved