So yesterday was a roller coaster day; I don’t know the reason for the ups and downs I experienced but it was just one of those days where you want to do nothing more than go home, put on some pajamas, grab a carton of ice cream or chocolate (maybe even both) and lose yourself in a chic flick where the guy predictably but reassuringly gets the girl.
I’ve realized it can be so easy to look at others and secretly wish for what they have. While happy for them, you also can’t help but think that life on their side of the fence must be a little greener. The only problem with this attitude is that all of us have a different race to run in this life. God put different gifts and calls in all of us, causing the path which we are led on to be just as different. To want the life someone else has is saying you want to trade in the plans God has for you in order to live someone else’s life. In a sense, you’re substituting your uniqueness to be average (I’m borrowing that from the youth pastor at Angelus Temple).
I’ve concluded the only solution to this is to turn to the Bible and lay hold of all the many promises God has for us. If we can confidently trust that God knows exactly what He’s doing and give Him every part of our lives – our dreams, desires, hopes, plans…basically everything – then He can have the freedom to lead us down a path that is so amazing, wrought with all the things our heart longs for but carried out according to His timetable and as He sees fit. Here are some verses to get you jump started:
“I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” – Jeremiah 29:11 (Message)
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” – John 15:7
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” – Matthew 7:7-8
“If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.” – Matthew 6:25-26 (Message)
I’ve realized it can be so easy to look at others and secretly wish for what they have. While happy for them, you also can’t help but think that life on their side of the fence must be a little greener. The only problem with this attitude is that all of us have a different race to run in this life. God put different gifts and calls in all of us, causing the path which we are led on to be just as different. To want the life someone else has is saying you want to trade in the plans God has for you in order to live someone else’s life. In a sense, you’re substituting your uniqueness to be average (I’m borrowing that from the youth pastor at Angelus Temple).
I’ve concluded the only solution to this is to turn to the Bible and lay hold of all the many promises God has for us. If we can confidently trust that God knows exactly what He’s doing and give Him every part of our lives – our dreams, desires, hopes, plans…basically everything – then He can have the freedom to lead us down a path that is so amazing, wrought with all the things our heart longs for but carried out according to His timetable and as He sees fit. Here are some verses to get you jump started:
“I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” – Jeremiah 29:11 (Message)
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” – John 15:7
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” – Matthew 7:7-8
“If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.” – Matthew 6:25-26 (Message)
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