An Unknown Future

Looking back over the years of my life I see a life far from perfection, certainty or predictability. Growing up I looked to my future with dreams of hope for what would lie ahead. Career plans. Having life-long friends. Getting married. The list could go on...

Sometimes I grow discouraged with where my life has led me and I struggle to find joy with where God has me now. I've been finding that the failures and insecurities of my past still seem like they somehow haunt me even in my life now. Sometimes it's hard to look to the future with hope when our dreams feel like they have been shattered and forgotten and we can't get our minds off the past.

When our hopes, dreams and desires seem to be overlooked, we can remember Who is in control. We can rest assured that He has heard our prayers. When prayers seem to go unanswered, it's not God failing to answer us, but rather a "I'm protecting you" or "not yet."  I have to constantly remind myself that when things don't go as I had planned, God isn't withholding them from me out of spite. God directs us in the way we should go according to His will. Not ours. He is directing us and protecting us from trekking to places that could harm us along the way. Even when our life feels like it is up to nothing, we can rest assured that God is up to more that we could ever imagine!

Maybe you've been encountering a season of your life that you're not sure what God is doing. Maybe you've been seeking, craving and hoping for God to step in and take control, but He feels farther than ever before. You're wondering if He hears you. Let me tell you that God has never left your side. He's right there with you, loving you more than ever and encouraging you along the way. He may seem silent, but as the saying goes "The teacher is always quiet during the test." I like to think that when God seems silent, He's testing how strong our faith is. Silence is often one of the hardest things to persevere through when we are anxiously waiting for an answer.

Maybe you feel like your struggling never ceases to end. Just when you get back up, it feels like you're brought to your knees yet again. Although trials and difficult times bring discouragement and pain, they are the source of tapping into a deeper level with God than we ever could have through the sunny and bright days. Maybe you're struggling through a circumstance right now that you just can't seem to overcome. You feel like your faith is failing and discouragement has the upper hand. Remember God is using this time to strengthen and deepen your faith. You may feel like it's the very thing that is breaking you apart, but when you come through the fire, you will be refined as gold. Your faith may be small, but we can rely on God because His strength is strong. 

We don't always understand God's plans. We question why. We wonder what if. We ask how long. We see the small picture, when God has the master plan. We get so focused on the tiny loose threads in the large tapestry that God is weaving together. We don't know how they all fit, but when it is finished we will see their full purpose and how they all fit together. We don't have to have our future planned out. We don't have to have control over our lives, because when God is the one directing us, we're right where we should be. God's knowledge far surpasses what we see. His plans for our lives have exceeded even our greatest desires. We may feel disappointed with what we see now, but when we see all the loose ends fit together in the tapestry that God is weaving we'll be fascinated by His master plan and understand He knew what was best all along!

Isaiah 43:2

When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. When you're in rough waters, you will not go down. When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead end.