Are You Ready?

I gathered up my plans for the weekend, one by one. The few precious days stretched out long before me and I knew exactly what I was going to do. Had it all figured out. It was going to be great. Fun. Beautiful. New. Delicious. Exciting. Perfect!

And just as quickly, one by one…each plan, each exhausting effort crumbled, shattered to the ground leaving me spent and very frustrated wondering why God would allow me to waste my time and energy for absolutely nothing.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. (Isaiah 55:8)

Are you ready to gather up all your hopes, ideas, dreams and thoughts about how your life should look and place them firmly in the hands of Jesus? One by one, day by day? It's like gathering all the important elements to create the perfect floral ensemble. We strive to create the perfect contrast in color and texture and maybe we hand Him one stem at a time when we're to hand over the entire bouquet. It's His. Only He can assemble the perfect balance of such things.

It’s a process. Doesn’t happen overnight. We can’t just flip a switch and suddenly know how submission works. It’s painful. Uncomfortable. Unsettling. Handing over full control…as if it ever belonged to us in the first place…takes our obedience and His faithfulness.

I’m learning to praise God when that thing I’ve wished for, hoped for, prayed about comes back to me broken, unfixed and unrealized like God saying, “No, child. Not this one – not this time.”

I’m learning to praise Him in the “no” and in the failed attempts because they aren’t really failures at all. They’re just me taking bigger strides up the mountain trying to own my chunk of it. It’s just me stretching my limits and reaching my arms out farther to embrace my vision of achievement and all the while I’m growing my need for a Savior.

When darkness falls on my plans and all the little pieces struggle to come together as I think they should, I’m learning to shout, “Praise, you, Jesus! Thank you for this challenge and this experience! I know that you have something far better planned! My plans, hopes and dreams couldn’t POSSIBLY compare to what you have in store for me and I trust you! I will praise you regardless!”

With all that I am I submit and surrender it ALL to God! All that I truly own in this life is the surrendering of my will to His. The commitment of my plans and dreams. All my tomorrows. All belong to Jesus.

And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. (Psalm 9:10)