Today turned out to be quite different than I had been planning on. I was going to go to church and women’s group. That was it. But God, as he often does, had different plans. I did go to church and I did get to come back home, edit for the book project and take a nap, but that’s where the similarity ended. After speaking with a friend last night, I found out about a baby shower for a woman I used to be friends with along with many mutual friends I hadn’t seen for a long time in attendance. The shower made for an interesting contrast of who I used to be and the life I led versus who I am and the life I lead now. The journey between the two has held some very unexpected turns, plans failed, dreams birth and realized anew, and new opportunities seized. After the shower, I headed to the theatre to take some pictures of scenes I couldn’t get during a normal dress-rehearsal and ended up staying for the whole show (which by the way, sinks in deeper and deeper every time I see it), after women’s group was canceled. Not what I planned on, but I am so glad I got to see the play again tonight and got to hang out afterwards with my friends in the cast and crew.
Life doesn’t turn out the way we plan. It’s a simple fact. Often, what we plan is not the best for us, there is something better on the horizon. Like pulling a plant out of the ground to make room for something else, there may be a gaping hole in our life but we can rest assured that God has something in mind to put in it. Some of the richest friendships are the unexpected ones, the ones when we are looking for one thing and find a special soul instead. Sometimes we loose a dream which then makes room for a much bigger one we would have never dared to imagine. I could never have imagined I would be going to Africa this fall. I had very different plans for my time. But between those plans not working out and me being willing to give up the others, God had the holes required in my life to plant a very big dream.
It is always hard to give up something you’ve hoped for, had faith in, and dreamed about, but I challenge you to keep looking and keep searching for what God is bringing into your life instead. It may just be exactly what you really needed, your deeper dream come true.
365-09 #301