His Ways Are Not My Ways

I turned 13 the same year as Mary Ellen on The Waltons. For whatever reason only a hormonal teenage girl can comprehend, she was convinced she was going to go “crazy” on her thirteenth birthday. Being a hormonal teenage girl myself,  I took this to heart so on MY thirteenth birthday I sat on the edge of my bed waiting for the “crazy” to kick in. Ridiculous? Absolutely! True? Of course not! It was, however, very,  real to me at the time.  

I think we can all remember times when we based our happiness or success on something we felt we just HAD to have or something we felt HAD to happen. Whether it was a date with that “special someone”, getting that “perfect job”, or a contract on that “dream home”, we don’t have to be a hormonal teenager to want God to accomplish our will in His name. Time and perspective usually prove the desires of our heart are not always good indicators of what is truly best.

Let’s face it. Hormonal teenagers are not the only ones who can be influenced by the opinions of others or their own myopic view and make decisions based on their own limited knowledge. God, however, not only knew all about us before we were even born, He had a plan for our lives that is so much greater than we can even imagine. He loves us enough to sacrifice His only Son for us, knows everything about us, knows all of our days, and has a plan for our life. He sees how the choices we make today influence our tomorrow. I have heard it said our life is like a beautiful needlework tapestry. God sees the top and knows how each stitch and each color weave together to create in us His Masterpiece. On the other hand, we only see the bottom with its knots and strings of thread pulled in odd, indecipherable patterns. It is not until He is finished that we will see the beauty of His handiwork.

As we mature in our faith and knowledge in Him, we learn that we cannot always understand His ways or His reason. The wisest thing we can do is trust He knows best and let Him have control to do HIS will in HIS name in HIS perfect timing