My best laid plans...

I like plans.  And structure.  And I like them a lot.

I like how they move you places and give you a framework to build on once you're there.  I like how they map out the future and give me concrete things to work towards.

But over the last couple of weeks, God's been teaching me that I need to leave the plans to him and enjoy the moment I'm in.  Because sometimes, I get so caught up in the future that I'm planning out that I forget about the present I'm living in.

And that's when I freak myself out.

Because I start thinking about things that are about 15 steps past the point I'm currently living and I realize I'm not ready for those steps.

And I have to stop and remind myself: I'm not ready because I'm not there yet and God is still working things out. And when I do get there I will be ready because God has gone before me and prepared the way.  And he's prepared me.

He will teach me what I need to know by the time I need to know it.  Not before.

He will show me the way to walk when it's time to walk it.  Not before.

He will put the experiences in my life I need to prepare me when it's time for the preparation.  Not before.

My job is simply to trust, learn, and enjoy the moment.  To trust that God's got this all figured out even when I don't.  To learn what he is teaching my heart in that moment.  And to sit back and watch him show off because these moments are going to prepare me for the next moments... and I don't want to miss that.

I'm not saying I'm throwing out all my plans.  Plans can be good.  They can give focus and purpose. They can form a vision and gather a team.  They can motivate a team to reach a goal.

But when I'm living too much in the future and trying to make plans that aren't ready to be made, that's when I need to take a step back and just watch God work.  That's when I need to trust.  And that's when I need to just enjoy the moment God has given me to live right now.

And that's when the freaking out stops and the peace and joy take over.

The future...

I graduate in four months. That is both exciting and terrifying to me. Yes I'll be excited to have a four year BA degree. But I honestly have no idea what I'm supposed to do after graduation and that is scary. I like knowing. I like having a plan. I like to-do lists. I like structure and organization. And I don't like not knowing. And now I'll be stepping into the unknown.

Part of the problem is that there are 50 million (okay maybe not that many, but certainly a lot) of things I want to do, degrees I want to have, and life change that I want to happen. Sometimes I wonder if I'm truly missing it all and I'm not supposed to do any of the things that I think I want to do and I'm supposed to do something totally different.

Yet as much as I don't know my future, I know God does. Jeremiah 29:11 says that, "I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD..." He knows. It doesn't say that I know, it says that he knows. He knows what's next. He knows whether I'll go back to school (and for which degree), he knows if I'll go on a missions trip, he knows what he has planned for me and he won't fail me. He will take care of me. He knows so I don't have to worry and fret (which is a lot easier said then done).

My life doesn't belong to me. It belongs to him. And during this time of unknowns, I'll keep seeking and searching for his presence, because no matter what I end up doing, that's where I want to be: in his presence: worshipping, loving, being.

Worry...

Tonight before I went to Lighthouse I had asked God to just really convict me and stir my spirit. Well, He did. The message tonight was directed straight at my heart. The topic you ask?? That would be worry. Lately I've been struggling with worrying about the future. Who my future spouse will be... Where am I going to be in a few years life wise... Will I be a good interpreter... Will I be able to get a job....is another 4 years of school really in the mix??? Through all of this worrying, God has been speaking to my heart, plainly and rather bluntly saying...

"I'm God, you're not. I know what's best, I love you and I'll take care of you if you'll just let me. Knock it off with the obsessing of the future. Trust Me."

FYI: it's a lot easier said than done. But it was something I was working on. And then tonight happened and God just showed me how much I'm still worrying. I think the thing that hit me the most was that when we worry, we're saying to God that he can't keep his promises, that he can't be in control. We are looking at ourselves saying I'm in control... I'll handle this (which is rather stupid since worrying doesn't do any good). Worry is a sin that stems from pride. Worry is telling God that we don't trust him enough to do what he says he will do. But when we take our worries and fears to God in prayer, we are taking the focus off ourselves and admitting just how much we can't, but God can.

I'm not even doing justice to what was said tonight...So, you need to check it out for yourself by going to www.lighthousecollective.com and listening to the podcast of tonight's message... it should be up in the next couple of days.

So will you join with me in turning the focus off ourselves and onto God??