Tag Archives: Growth
Is It Possible to Ruin God’s Plan? (Part 2)
So now I’ve had some time to ponder this whole mess I’ve gotten into. I had a perfect opportunity, a huge open door, God lit the way there for me, handed me directions, sent me a limo even, and somehow I’d managed to slam it shut.
Several possibilities have occurred to me. Perhaps God’s plan for me was to be a principal in one of those buildings and despite my efforts and willingness to go, I bungled the plan, and God is now sitting up in heaven scratching his head wondering what went wrong. Or maybe God’s plan was never for me to be in that job, but he dangled the possibility in front of me, teased me with it, lured me in, and when I took the bait, he threw it away and me with it. Or it is possible that God wanted me there, knew how much it meant to me, but is punishing me for my disobedience in other areas, for not paying as much attention to him as I should be. I don’t like any of those options, and I’m not sure I like the God that would set me up like that.
Is It Possible to Ruin God’s Plan? (Part 1)
I had an experience recently that makes me wonder whether God’s will and his plan for my life are inevitable or dependent on me, and exactly how much I’m really an integral part of the process. Either way, I’m not sure whether I feel comforted or encouraged or manipulated or worthless.
“God isn’t petty,” I have to keep reminding myself. And I know all too well that he works in zig-zags most of the time. But it doesn’t make me feel any better at the moment.
Beauty from Worthlessness
A newly engaged couple begins planning their wedding. First stop: a jeweler to pick out wedding rings. They choose a matching pair of gleaming gold bands entwined with a finely-engraved design. Next, they select a beautiful set of delicate china with intricately detailed patterns around the rim. Every time they look at the rings and use the china they will think about their beauty and significance.
It’s unlikely, though, that this couple will ever consider how these lovely objects came to be, or the fact that these valuable items came from humble, worthless beginnings: rocks and dirt.
Valuable
To steal an illustration that my Pastor used this past Sunday, imagine someone wants to hand you a ten-dollar bill, no strings attached. Want it? Of course you do. Why not take it? It’s free money.
OK, but what if the bill was crumpled up? Still want it? Sure, it’s still worth the same. Stomp on it—still worth ten dollars. Doesn’t matter what happens to the paper: wet, stained, dirty, worn, smelly, it’s still ten dollars, it still has value, we can still use it.
