Painful Stretching

Okay friends, no 'four letter words' are adorning my yard this morning, yeah!  I know that some of you actually like the white stuff, but for me, although I think it is beautiful and peaceful looking, it usually just brings headaches and stress.  I am also not particularly fond of cold weather in general since I have to wear many layers in an attempt to stay warm.  But that is enough rambling about weather.

 

In our devotion today it talked about financial problems and learning to make good decisions. I loved the quote for the day:

 

God often allows us to be in situations that are too much for us so we will learn that no situation is too much for Him. --Erwin Lutzer, Pastor and author

 

I know that each of us has been in a situation, short term or long, that has overwhelmed us in one fashion or another.  Sometimes it is dealing with financial decisions or recovering from mistakes.  Other times it could be experiencing  a loss of some kind or just an out and out stretching of the soul and faith through a new position,  a job or lack of job.

 

In any case, the one thing we all have in common is our dependency on God.  We have to seek His guidance and truly expect Him to work in our lives. In that same measure we must also be willing to follow His lead and not think that we know a better way.  In recent months I have been stretched and I am feeling the pain of that.  With each day, I feel the marginal elasticity of my will battling with the immeasurable strength of His grip pulling me in the direction I need to go.  For me, control is difficult to let go of yet I know I have to allow Him to lead in all areas of my life.  It's not easy or comfortable at times but it does give me peace when I do lay my ideas and plans down and wait on Him.  When my limited

mind wraps itself around the reality that God, in his infinite wisdom and knowledge, does indeed have the best plan and His plan is to prosper me not to harm me, to give me hope and a future I am encouraged.

 

The difficulty then lies in realizing that His plan may not be the same as mine and letting go of my idea of how things should be or what I should do.  I pray that today I can grasp that concept and lay my will at His feet, put myself in His hands and just hold on for the ride of my life.  He WILL guide me.  He WILL protect me.  He LOVES me and has a plan for my life.  I must keep repeating this to myself until it sinks in.  I pray that we all grab hold of His hand and never let go.