January 29
A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9
The famous quote by John Lennon, “Life is what happens when we are busy making other plans.” could not be more true! It happens to all of us and more often than not, on quite a regular basis. We may plan and plan, yet events have a way of changing right before our eyes. Blind to the big picture, we commonly fuss and fume because it appears things are not going our way. We are swallowed up by our own agenda; swallowed up by an ego that wants what it wants, when it wants it. We become oblivious to our God, who is guiding our way, gently placing before us new steps for our feet - precious in His sight, to take.
We have all heard stories of people changing a place they were going or a flight planned, only to find out later that there was a catastrophic event that occurred and they were spared. So many of us were directly affected by 9/11 in that way. But for most of us, day by day little things happen we barely take notice of, yet annoy us for the shift in our direction they caused. We briefly grumble about an occurrence that didn’t go our way, move on and forget about it. How often have we encountered a detour or something to delay us on our way to work or running errands? Could it be those few extra minutes gave us an opportunity to reflect on the demands of our day; to think about someone we haven’t thought of in a while? Perhaps it gave us a peaceful moment to notice a bird or squirrel sitting in a tree, or flower on the side of the road as we waited in traffic; remorsefully recall our impatience as we hurried on our way out the door; the last words we spoke to our loved ones at home, or a rash decision we made that is regretful. Reflection gives us insight to our behavior and the message that it presents, compelling us to be a little more vigilant about letting our loved ones know as soon as possible how much we value them; how they are loved! Reflection gives us the opportunity to apologize for wrong doing. If we allow, these interruptions provide an opportunity for us to recognize our character flaws and work with them toward a positive outcome.
And doesn’t it seem the little aggravations are more of a nuisance to us; test our patience if you will, more readily than the bigger, life changing events that occur in our lives? Our awareness of God’s presence is heightened when we lean on Him in Faith, during situations that greatly impact our lives. It can be a challenge for us to remember that even in the little ordinary, daily challenges we face, He is always there.
Knowing that God has established our steps places all the aggravation in our lives at a new level. It should make us ponder carefully those tugs and pulls that we feel as we go about our day. It should shed light on the obstacles that occur as we attempt to move forward with any plans that we have and question what God is trying to show to us. Most of all, when we begin to fuss and fume over the barriers placed before us, in faith we can take a deep breath and anticipate with joy what new path God may be placing before us, and have our feet ready to run!
As we make our plans each day dear Father, may we look for You in all we do.
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson
A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9
The famous quote by John Lennon, “Life is what happens when we are busy making other plans.” could not be more true! It happens to all of us and more often than not, on quite a regular basis. We may plan and plan, yet events have a way of changing right before our eyes. Blind to the big picture, we commonly fuss and fume because it appears things are not going our way. We are swallowed up by our own agenda; swallowed up by an ego that wants what it wants, when it wants it. We become oblivious to our God, who is guiding our way, gently placing before us new steps for our feet - precious in His sight, to take.
We have all heard stories of people changing a place they were going or a flight planned, only to find out later that there was a catastrophic event that occurred and they were spared. So many of us were directly affected by 9/11 in that way. But for most of us, day by day little things happen we barely take notice of, yet annoy us for the shift in our direction they caused. We briefly grumble about an occurrence that didn’t go our way, move on and forget about it. How often have we encountered a detour or something to delay us on our way to work or running errands? Could it be those few extra minutes gave us an opportunity to reflect on the demands of our day; to think about someone we haven’t thought of in a while? Perhaps it gave us a peaceful moment to notice a bird or squirrel sitting in a tree, or flower on the side of the road as we waited in traffic; remorsefully recall our impatience as we hurried on our way out the door; the last words we spoke to our loved ones at home, or a rash decision we made that is regretful. Reflection gives us insight to our behavior and the message that it presents, compelling us to be a little more vigilant about letting our loved ones know as soon as possible how much we value them; how they are loved! Reflection gives us the opportunity to apologize for wrong doing. If we allow, these interruptions provide an opportunity for us to recognize our character flaws and work with them toward a positive outcome.
And doesn’t it seem the little aggravations are more of a nuisance to us; test our patience if you will, more readily than the bigger, life changing events that occur in our lives? Our awareness of God’s presence is heightened when we lean on Him in Faith, during situations that greatly impact our lives. It can be a challenge for us to remember that even in the little ordinary, daily challenges we face, He is always there.
Knowing that God has established our steps places all the aggravation in our lives at a new level. It should make us ponder carefully those tugs and pulls that we feel as we go about our day. It should shed light on the obstacles that occur as we attempt to move forward with any plans that we have and question what God is trying to show to us. Most of all, when we begin to fuss and fume over the barriers placed before us, in faith we can take a deep breath and anticipate with joy what new path God may be placing before us, and have our feet ready to run!
As we make our plans each day dear Father, may we look for You in all we do.
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson