11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
This is one of those weeks where lots of things happened in my life. I guess the biggest one was turning 49 on Tuesday. This was also one of those weeks I loved facebook. I had decided that anybody that took the time out of their day to think of me while telling me Happy Birthday, I would make sure I took the time to thank them back. As I did that, I thought of how I knew that person. There are a few of them that I have never actually met, including one niece, and one of Andrew's cousins, but I love being part of their online lives. There are a few of them that are my family, and I have known all my life, one particular cousin NEVER posts anything on facebook, so I felt very honored when she told me Happy Birthday. I was greeted by friends who I have known as long as I can remember, friends from different phases of my life, and friends that I have made just in the last few years.
I had some really great birthdays as a kid, but looking back, I can't think of one that I thought more of than this year. My co-worker friends took me to lunch, and we went someplace special, that we had never been to as a group before and I had some surprises waiting on my desk when I came in, Two of my favorites were a Starbucks gift card and a pound of Pumpkin Spice coffee. I have a coffee maker in my office, so I have enjoyed that twice already this week. The main thing was though, all these people made me feel special, and loved. As you get older, I think that counts more than any material present you could come up with.
This is where I get sappy, as I told a friends earlier today. Bear with me, you are going to think I'm getting off on rabbit trails, but it will all come together in a bit.
Tonight, I went out to the high school to Media Night. This is the night you first see all those boys (and girls) of fall. One of my main focuses was the band (of course) but I also got to see a few kids of people who were kids when I was a teenager.
This is where it gets deep. I watched all of those teenagers and seriously remember back over 30 years ago standing on that very same football field with "my whole life ahead of me". (BTW, thank you AGAIN, Andrew for bringing me home!) I really didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. A part of me wanted to be a teacher, but it was more pressing that I find a job as quickly as possible. I also had aspirations of being a clothing designer.
The funny thing is, I am sure, I never dreamt of being a receptionist, a fast-food worker, a cook, a kitchen manager, a gas station attendant, a retail store employee, a loss prevention employee, a office worker who helped people apply for government grants, a program director, an IT coordinator, (I'm not sure that was even a thing when I was in high school). Seriously, I never even thought about being a wife and a mother, but here I am, and I love where I am at.
I was watching a show one time where one of the characters said, "We make plans, and God laughs". I get that, especially back then when I had no clue what I should really be wanting. One of the girls that I saw tonight, has visions of becoming a missionary, and I believe there is a big chance that she will. I also hope and pray that she will always (like it appears to me she does now) look to the Lord for what He wants her to do.
I know of one particular time in my life that I was in such a hurry to go from one job to another that a part of me feels like I almost sold my soul to the Devil. I went back to work for somebody that I knew was bad news but offered me a job and I jumped at it, less than 24 hours after I realized the job I was in was dissolving. I know God was telling me no and I wasn't listening. Sure enough, 4 months later, I left that job and regretted ever going back in the first place. On the bright side, I believe I still ended up where I was supposed to be when Andrew came into my life. I told a friend of mine this week, it is funny, the night before Andrew was sent to Effingham, he thought he was going to (and had already rented an apartment in) Texas. God said, "Nope, your destiny is here".
So, I look back over the span of my high school self to myself today and see that the verse I started out with is so very true. God knows where I'm going, how I'm getting there and when it is all going to happen.
He never changes, as the one little blurb on The Message radio says, "If you are feeling far away from God, He wasn't the one who moved."
My challenge to you this morning is to really take the time to think back over your life, look at where He has lead you and consider what He has ahead for you. It may not always be easy, or even fun for that matter, but He sees the big picture and knows you need to be where you are now to move on to where you need to be next.
One of my birthday presents was a paperweight, with this saying:
Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful.
God never promised easy, or painless, He does promise us that He will always be there with us though and that, is worth it all.
I'm leaving you with Francesca Battistelli's Beautiful, Beautiful.
May you have a wonderfully, blessed week.
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