It opens doors to all sorts of new culinary delights!
As I thought about how we make plans, how we want to know what the Lord's plan is for us, how we are afraid of making choices outside of that plan (as though we could!), something made me think of this passage in Jeremiah (it's from the 29th chapter):
10 “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile."
I don't know how (or if) you're supposed to take God's words to Israel in the prophets and apply them to today, but God's character is unchanging; thankfully He isn't fickle or confused by His emotions like I am. I was struck by the sound of compassion and care in God's words here. I'm not sure if it's just in the language or if this passage is particularly comforting to me right now. God knew He was sending His people into a place they didn't want to go and where they would be very unhappy. Yet He sent them because it was part of His plan for them, "plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." So I don't know God's plans; I can only make choices with what's in front of me. But I know He knows His plan. And I know His plans are good.
And God has been working out His plan, a plan which includes me. As I struggle over the idea of a lost dating relationship, I have to see that through God's direction. Should I ask, Have I messed up? Or should I ask, What has God given me? Does God ever lose anything He can't find? Does He ever waste anything? Is anything outside of His purpose? And like Mrs. K said, God has me in the palm of His hand. If His character is sure and I am His child, I haven't lost anything! (The world and devil would certainly like me to believe that I have.) I have gained a wonderful, godly friend and through him a wonderful, godly family. I don't know how my relationships will change over time, but I do know that I don't have to figure that out to have peace right now. What a blessing to live in the light of God's faithfulness!
5 comments:
yay!
im glad you like mushrooms too, they are delicious.
Thanks, guys. I really appreciate the thought and consideration you put into the deeper content of my posts.
Wow, I admire you. I've been right where you are before, and I had a hard time trusting God through it. It is impossible to know why God allows us to go through pain sometimes, but that passage from Jeremiah is sooo encouraging. It ranks right up there with Romans 8:28. Have you really gained a friend and family through this?
Well, anonymous, to answer your question: Trey and I spent time together not just because we were attracted to each other's exceptional good looks but because we genuinely enjoyed each other's company. We're both extraordinarily weird with random senses of humor; we like discussing the finer points of grammar, dissecting the social implications of whatever movie we watch, making up words to songs when we can't remember the lyrics, and generally pointing and laughing at each other. We didn't just have a dating relationship; we had enough in common that we developed a friendship (I'll even venture to say we developed the friendship despite the dating part). Why--just because the dating side of stuff is over--should we lose the friendship part, too? To be utterly cliche, why should I throw the baby out with the bathwater? (Of course, there's always the possibility that he doesn't want the friendship any more, which would make an entirely different ending.)
I just have to readjust my expectations for our relationship, which is where the greatest struggle comes. You don't usually expect to have sex with a friend some day. Yet friends are indispensable; I love all my friends dearly and covet their advice, comfort, and company.
And as for the family I've gained, you betcha! Just ask any one of 'em.
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