His Plan is Best~

Greetings~

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible: Jeremiah 29:11 "'For I know the plans I have for you,'" declares the LORD, "'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

This verse is such a comforting and beautiful promise for all God's children.  No matter what is going on in your life right now, you can boldly say that God is on your side.  He is all about setting you up to bless you, not harm you.  To give you hope, not despair. To give you something to look forward to, not leave you perpetually crashing into one dead end after another.

Ooohhh--I can hear some of you lamenting, "God's plan is not happening for me.  I am not prospering.  I am under a lot of stress. I am hopeless..." 

Hit the brakes, people!  Let's break it down, okay? 

The very first thing we learn from this verse is that the plans belong to God.  

It doesn't say, "I know the plans I have for myself," declares Yenise, "plans to prosper myself..."

This does not mean I don't have plans.  I do – lots of them.  But right now I am quaking in my ankle socks just thinking about what would have happened if I could have somehow exerted control over Rayray's life and sent her to school in 2012.  She had graduated with her bachelor's in April and was ready to start grad school right away.  She did not want any time off, and was looking forward to starting her master's program. However, a clerical error was to blame for her having to defer enrollment for one extra year, which was not part of my plan nor hers either. And at the time, I called, cajoled, and cried to the admissions committee, even had a minor temper tantrum, but they would not budge.

The worse part was that I remember hanging up the phone feeling so smug – thinking to myself, "You won't budge?  Fine.  But you'll see; I know Someone Who will make you."

I turned to God and pleaded with Him to move the red-tape mountain.  I asked Him to unholster His heavenly guns and cause a ruckus.  I begged Him move the hearts of the inept ding dongs who messed up.  

Crikey! NOTHING HAPPENED.  

Except that all along God was busy behind the scenes setting us up to bless us. When we couldn't see how it would work out, He could.  When neither Rayray nor I could think of one good reason for this inopportune delay, He could. Rayray wound up working as a high school volleyball coach when she didn’t get into grad school.  That’s how she met her future husband. God always knew His plan was best.   And He also knew that we would eventually come to our senses and thank Him for being in control.  (The older and wiser we get, the more quickly this happens).  He knew that we would re-embrace this life of faith and accept that our way of thinking must take a bow to His will for our life.  

Sometimes that can be difficult because we are just so sure that everything would be better if ________ (fill in the blank).

What did you fill in the blank with?  I am not saying to let it go completely. After all, Rayray did eventually start grad school.  In fact, she is graduating in a few months. What I am saying, however, is that God knows best, including the timing of things.  If you're still waiting for something or someone, or if your dreams are on hold or even non-existent, let's take a step of faith together and embrace God's plans.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 "It is beautiful how God has done everything at the right time."     

PRAYER: Dear Lord, If we're being honest, sometimes it's hard to believe that Your plans are best.  There are things You have allowed that we would not have chosen for ourselves. But today, as one big DEVO family, we take a step of faith straight toward You and thank You that You are in control.  Nothing and no one else has a say in our lives.  We open our arms wide to receive all the good You desire to do in us and in those we love, and we find comfort in knowing You have perfect timing.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~     

Dress Wisely~

Goooooooooood afternoon:)

 

 

Yesterday's DEVO really struck a chord, and I thank you all for your fine comments! Let's revisit some of the highlights.

 

Colossians 3:12-14 says, "...dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered...quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it."

 

When Rayray was five years old she went through a pink Power Ranger phase. She had the costume, and would wear it as often as she could. Some days it was a struggle getting her to put on her school uniform. Sunday mornings were sometimes difficult as she would already be wearing her special outfit when I would go in to wake her up. It was not easy negotiating with that child, and over the years I have learned to embrace her strong will as a gift from God. (More on that a later date).

 

But wouldn't it be grand if we were all as zealous and eager to dress in the wardrobe God has picked out for us? If you look closely at the verse, we actually have a choice. If God is encouraging us to dress ourselves in kindness could it be that sometimes we choose to wear rudeness or nastiness instead?

 

Before I point the finger at anyone else I point it to me. Most days I think I start off with a lovely blouse of beauty and pants of praise, shoes of sweetness, and even a frock of friendliness. And then something irritates me, like the dentist who could not find what was causing Jorgie's toothache and said to me in front of my crying and desperate son that it was, "Psychosomatic."

 

I immediately shed the jeans of joy and put on some highly threatening threads saying, among other things as I stormed out, "You shouldn't blame my son because you are an incompetent, unqualified quack!" The last image I have of that poor man is him with his head hanging down low on his desk.

 

But wait, it gets worse. I took Jorgie to an endodonist who promptly diagnosed the problem by determining there was a lack of oxygen in the tooth, so he drilled a small hole in the tooth and voila! pain gone.

 

Shouldn't I have been relieved that Jorgie was finally out of pain and just leave the thing alone? Yes, but when the endodonist explained how easily he diagnosed the problem and how the dentist could have done the same, I called back for round two. I know. I should have let it go.

 

But sometimes we are as stubborn as a kindergartener who wants what she wants when she wants it.

 

We adults, I suppose, can have temper tantrums too.

 

But guess what? Each and every morning we get a brand new opportunity to get dressed. Let's make sure the garments of beauty fit snugly so they are not so easily shed.

 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline, and even-temperedness? That's a lot to ask! Have you seen what we have to deal with? Maybe dressing ourselves with these attributes, however, actually improves our quality of life. By faith we can say that choosing to wrap ourselves in this godly wardrobe winds up being the bigger blessing than the momentary satisfaction of speaking our mind. Minister to us today with Your goodness that we might be so full and filled with You that others will want to dress the same way; the world will be a better place because of it. In Jesus' name, AMEN~