A Snowy Monday Encouragement

"Joy is a serious problem for Christians. Actually, the real problem is our lack of it. Believers feel oppressed, depressed, stressed and burned-out at alarming levels. Why? Because we feel disconnected from God's plan and purpose. We don't comprehend how our daily to-do lists fit in the eternal landscape, or how our month-to-month survival leaves time for an everlasting vision. We want every moment to count and every activity to bear fruit, but we don't see how they do. And worst of all, we don't see how His desires for our lives fit our desires for our lives. We get discouraged because we lose our vision.

Two proverbs give us insight into human depression: "If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what He reveals, they are most blessed" (Proverbs 29:18, The Message); and, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life" (Proverbs 13:12). In both cases, whether from impaired vision or denied gratification, discouragement is a result of the disconnect between human hope and God's design. When we're on the construction site while the Architect's plans are hidden away in an office somewhere, we're lost.

But His plans are not hidden away. If we think He'll post them on a billboard, we'll be disappointed, but if we seek them like buried treasure, life will be an adventure. And an adventurous life is a joyful life. The exhilaration of being led by God is the sure antidote to a life of discouragement. It leads to shouting and gladness.

How would you describe your life today? Are you in a glad shouting mode, or are you in burnout survival mode? If the latter, why? You have access to the Architect's design and an open invitation to be a part of it. not only that, you can rest assured that His desires for you line up with the deepest needs and appetites of your heart. The disconnect between your will and His and between your hopes and His is an illusion. He crafted you to fit your place in the plan. That should be worth a joyful shout."

(Worship the King by Chris Tiegreen)

Something that God has really been challenging me about is this: Am I stuffing God into my plans or am I stuffing myself into God's plans? There is a huge difference between the two. When I lay out my life and what I want, and then look to God to fit, He isn't going to fit. Because more often than not, my plans are not His. Rather, I need to sit down and ask God to show me what His plans are and how I am supposed to be a part of that. I then need to allow Him to craft and mold me so that I fit perfectly into all that He desires. Be encouraged by the perfectness of His, and join me in the adventure of trusting Him with all that I am and allowing His plans to unravel in my life and yours.