What do we do when things happen that aren’t in our plans? When parents die seemingly out of no where? When one day a family member is fine and the next they’re fighting for their life? What do we do y’all, when we feel like we’ve lost all sense of the world around us? When we’re scared and confused and don’t know who to turn to, what do we do?
Things happen y’all. Things that we don’t plan on, things that we could never imagine happening to us, and things that are the complete opposite of what “our plan” is. And more often than not, our reaction is to either freak out or hide. We either freak out because something didn’t go according to plan or we hide because we live in fear of others judgement. I’ve got a lot of people near and dear to me that have so many hard things that they’re struggling with and have been struggling with for a really long time. I’ve only recently gotten to know these things because they couldn’t handle the secrecy anymore. They couldn’t handle the constant fear of someone finding out the wrong way and then being judged for it.
But friends, we are not called to judge. We are not called to condemn others, put them down, or make them believe that grace isn’t for them. We were not made to have others be fearful of us because of a mistake that was made. Y’all we are called to love others. Called to show grace to others. Called to point others to the One that loves us no matter what. And I’m reminding us all of this because it breaks my heart when we don’t have people that we trust enough to share our burdens with.
I’ve got two sweet friends who are going through some unimaginable struggles right now. Never in a million year would I have thought that these things would happen to them. For their privacy, I will not tell you what they’re going through, but my heart hurts for them because of how much they’re hurting. I grew up with these friends and I know that we all had a totally different idea of what our lives would look like at this point. But God had different plans. And over the past several months I’ve really been able to see how much better His plans are than what we’ve always had in mind.
If I had it my way, my Mom would still be alive. If I had it my way, I’d be married with a kid or two. If I had it my way, I’d be living on a really big farm land with a full front porch, 4 rocking chairs, and I wouldn’t be able to hear the sounds of cars driving by at all hours. If I had it my way, I probably wouldn’t be who I am today.
But because God’s plans are greater than my own, I don’t have any of those things. If my Mom were still alive, I wouldn’t be anywhere close to who I am today. If I was married with kids, I most likely wouldn’t be blogging or taking care of my cousin. If I lived on a farm, I wouldn’t be able to be a good friend because I would stay in my own little bubble at the farm and think I was fine. Praise God that His plans are greater than my own!
Life doesn’t go according to our plans. And while we may freak out or hide in fear for a while, I promise there’s a purpose for it. I know it’ll make sense one day. I promise that God’s not going to leave you in a pit of despair or leave you at all for that matter. God’s got you, my friend.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will never leave you or forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV
Beauty in the Ashes 