It’s only natural to dream about our future and make our plans accordingly. In fact, this is part of our wise stewardship. But it doesn’t take long on the journey before we realize things rarely go according to our well-made plans. All the same, with hindsight, we see God was directing our steps exactly where we needed to go.
To be sure, the first half of life is generally filled with many hopes of the life we want to live. Perhaps it’s a dream job, getting married, having kids, the friends we’re going to have, or just some expectation of where we’re going to live. And even when this is not a super detailed plan, we still tend to have a rough outline of the story we want to live.
It’s often very heartbreaking when we see our dreams crumble – thwarted by injury, illness, and death just to name a few of the arrows in our story. And part of us might feel like giving up altogether.
But, as we live with a deeper hope and practice of faith, we keep pressing forward even during those dark nights. And gradually, like the rising of the sun, we start to gain perspective and we see how God has been guiding our steps all along.
While this is not a story we would’ve written for ourselves, we wouldn’t have it any other way, as it allows us to fully appreciate who we’ve become and God’s abundance of grace in our lives.
Of course, this perspective doesn’t mean our story will now be free from pain and suffering. There might indeed be many more heartaches still to endure. But, like the saints of old, there’s an inner peace even in our sorrow as we look forward to the restoration of all good things.
In the end, continue to plan, but don’t lose heart when your story takes a different turn. God is still directing your steps exactly where you need to be.
Photo by Mitchell Cizmas on Pexels
