Want to make God laugh?

Dear friends,

It has been almost a week since I have written to you! Opps….

I hope to write a more detailed update of what I’ve been up to soon, but for today, let me leave you with something that I feel God has been reiterating in my life lately. Today I heard this quote in chapel:

“Want to make God laugh? Tell him your plans for your life.”

I’m not sure who first said that – but it couldn’t be any truer! For example, as a sophomore in high school, I decided that foreign languages really weren’t my “thing”. Knowing this, I decided to take the easiest road possible. I discovered that one semester of college credit was equivalent to studying one subject for an entire year in high school! Which means that instead of spending two whole years studying a foreign language, I could go to a community college and knock that out in one year (two semesters)! Even better, was that I would be a duel-credit student! Meaning that not only would I get high school credit, but I would get college credit as well! So essentially, I could spend one year at JCC studying Spanish (the community college in Louisville), and NEVER have to study it again! Not in high school – or college! I may be blond, but I know a good deal when I see one – and this seemed like the short cut of a lifetime; however, this situation is a perfect testimony to Proverbs 16:9:

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”

If you are reading this blog, then you must know that my “plan” in this area, did not succeed. God must have been laughing three years ago when he looked down on me and heard me tell Him how my course was all planned out in regards to Spanish. He knew that my Spanish study would not stop after one year; He had determined my steps even back them. And here I am today; I’ve now spent three years studying Spanish and am currently spending six months in Costa Rica for that sole purpose! God must have a sense of humor! Spanish is certainly not the only area of my life that turned out much differently than I planned! I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that I would go to a public university, that I would be majoring in nursing as well as Spanish, that I would have a sister, that my family would be permanently located in Louisville – and countless other examples! It makes me wonder what else God has up his sleeve.

I’m a planner. I have a list for everything! I constantly want to plan the future. I’ll admit, I have a very detailed “Five year plan” in a Word document, saved on my computer! But I wonder how many of my “plans” are simply me planning my course and not actually God’s determined steps for my life. When it comes to big decisions, one of my greatest fears is that I’ll miss it and some how make the wrong choice and ruin God’s plans for my life! Over the years, God has been showing me that we can’t mess-up his plans! He is so much bigger than that! Who am I to think that I can somehow put God in a box like that; and that my actions can somehow change His plans?!

How do I know that we can’t mess-up God’s plans? Well, not only have I experienced time and time again, circumstances that were completely not my plan and clearly God working his plan in my life – but the Bible tells us so!

Proverbs 20:24
A man’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?

Proverbs 16:1
To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue.

Proverbs 16:3-4
Commit your way to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. The Lord works out everything for his own ends – even the wicked for a day of disaster.

Proverbs 21:30-31
There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.

Jeremiah 10:23
I know O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.

As these verse testify, God is the one orchestrating our lives – not us!
I don’t know about you, but I’m extremely comforted by that news! There is no one else that I could trust my life too – not even myself! How great is that - that the GOD OF THE UNIVERSE is the one who directs our paths! The one who is perfect, Holy, just, loving, kind, and all knowing!

How can we know God’s plans for our lives? God’s word gives us three commands in Proverbs 3:5-6:
1.Trust in the LORD with all your heart
2.Lean not on your own understanding
3.In all your ways acknowledge him
- And he will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6
As one of my friends from the institute says: God makes His plans, and we simply join Him. Not the other way around.

In closing, here are the lyrics to one of my favorite hymns, Be Thou My Vision. I am not sure if anyone really ever reads this blog, but whoever you are, I hope that this encourages. Let’s trust God together and let Him alone be our vision and our everything….

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee, Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight,
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.
Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower.
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heav'ns Son!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O ruler of all.