Saturday, June 19, 2010

The Plans He Has For Me

Jeremiah 29:11 may be one of my favorite verses in the bible. It reminds me that when all else fails, when I am feeling beaten down and wandering, that He has plans for me.

Long before the foundations of the earth were laid, He had plans for me. Good plans!

I think back and wonder if I have ever asked Him to clearly show me His plans for me. Perhaps I have.... in bits and pieces. "What is Your plan for me ...in this...?" Perhaps He has been showing me over and over again, and I have been looking in other directions, so around the mountain again I go. Perhaps I have difficulty believing the magnitude of these gifts. Perhaps some of the gifts are not wrapped in packages that I recognize as such. Perhaps I think, "He couldn't possibly want ME to do that... ME? "

Some bits, I've heard clearly. In some areas of my life, I have no doubt of His plans for me. Through my tears and my fears, I have walked - willingly or reluctantly - never sure what lay on the other side of the call to action, but sure I needed to go. Other times, when I've asked for clarity or prayed specifically about something, it feels as if He is saying "FINALLY, you ask - it's what I've wanted for you all along..."

I wonder sometimes how big the puzzle of my life is, and if I have all the pieces. Are there more that I still have to find? Will He give them to me if I ask? I wonder what lies down the paths I walk.

The terrains differ from season to season. At times it seems like the journey is all uphill. Sometimes the fields are lush with rolling hills. Sometime we sit and rest.

It's rare that I feel alone these days, but I wonder how many times I wander off, chasing this or that. I am sure there are times that I've resembled a toddler on a summer night, lost in the wonder of a field of fireflies. But, before long, He calls me back to the path we were walking - together, He and I.

Many times, it is not in the front of my mind. You have called me to mother, and to heal. You have given me a listening ear, a willing heart and a centering spirit. Gratitude and organization come easy to me. Words are my friend. These things I know. When I am still enough to appreciate these gifts, I know. But life can be a field of fireflies, and I, a toddler.

So, He calls me back. Back to learn. Back to walk toward and in the plans He has for me.

Tonight these questions were put before me again. As I heard him speak, and I read the paper I held in my hands, there was that stirring deep within. "Are you listening? Pay attention! This is important!!" That still, small voice inside clearly whispers.

So, driving home, I asked.... aloud...."Help me to know Your plans for me. Guide me. Lead me. Keep me on the path that is Your plan for me...."

I am beginning to believe that it is no co-incidence that this is being asked of me while I have some time for reflection. May I use it wisely!


Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

No comments: