Recently, I switched on the TV, and caught the last couple moments of Joel Osteen. He was saying that a lot of times we live in the “here” when God has already prepared the “there” for us. We make big plans for ourselves here and now, thinking “this” needs to happen or “that” needs to be complete before we can move on, when in reality God has already made plans for our next step. He is already “there” waiting for us to trust Him, and move out of the “here” that we are so preoccupied with. This got me to thinking about the changes life can bring. We set expectations and make plans but sometimes life has other plans for us. Life is all about change.
Life is a journey that we are all on, separate and together. You may have an idea of how you want your journey to go, and where you’d like it to take you along the way, but God has already determined those things. Have you ever heard the saying, “Grow where you are planted?” God will place you exactly where you need to be, at exactly the right time, for the next portion of your journey to fall into place. I firmly believe this.
Sometimes, we have a big dream. We plan, and plan, and it doesn’t go the way we want. We might see it as a failure. Others might criticize us for trying something so big, or silly. We knew in our minds that it would work, and we saw it. It just HAD to work. It HAD to be exactly the way we dreamed it to be. So why didn’t it work? What did we do wrong? We ask ourselves these questions because we imagine it must have been something in OUR control that failed. But dear friends, the fault is not ours. There is no fault. It simply wasn’t in God’s plan for us. We planned it for our “here”, but God already had something better for us “there.”
I’m not saying we don’t have free will to try and do great things in our lives. We do. I’m just pointing out that sometimes when we think we fail, or second-guess why something happens, it isn’t necessarily because it was a failure. It could have been a lesson we needed to learn, or a stepping-stone from “here” to “there.” Sometimes the greatest blessings come from the “failures” we have. The key is looking at things with a different perspective. See the trials in life as learning experiences and necessary steps to greater experiences. Accepting that some events in life are meant to teach us something vital is very important to being a positive person. Some things just aren’t meant to be anything else but a life-lesson- a failed relationship, a lost job, or a missed opportunity.
A woman I know went through a nasty divorce. She then found herself in a toxic relationship with a man who treated her badly, even worse than she had experienced in her sour marriage. She ended this doomed relationship, and moved on to serial dating. Not one first-date ever led to a second. All the men she met, lacked something, and she was certain if she didn’t find someone, she’d end up completely alone for the rest of her life. She was stuck in her “here.” In reality, God had already moved on to her “there”, and had an ideal man waiting for her. She just had to realize she had gone through some learning experiences, accept something greater was out there, and allow God to show her. After a brief time, this woman met a gentleman quite by accident, and now, after several years, they are still happily married. God found her the man she needed; she just had to get out of her “here” and to her “there.”
Another example of this is a man who made pieces of furniture. I’ll call him Jim. He had his own style, which wasn’t too popular, but he kept trying to sell his pieces at craft shows and flea markets. Jim was convinced that he’d make it big sooner or later. He was consumed with his “here.” Ironically, when he arranged his pieces in his tent at shows, he tried to create a “homey” atmosphere so people could visualize how each piece would look in their home. He always placed pictures behind the arrangements. Some he had actually painted himself, years before, while in college. These pictures always garnered more interest than the furniture he was trying to sell. They were very unique, some much more unusual than others. Jim laughed it off to being at a crazy time in his life, and nothing more. He was not a painter. At one flea market, a man stood and looked at Jim’s tent for a long time. He took out his phone, and took a few pictures. Just as Jim was about to ask why he was taking pictures of his pieces, the man hurried away. At the end of the day, when all the vendors were packing up their wares, this mysterious man showed up at the furniture tent, and approached Jim. He explained he had noticed the unusual pictures, and was sure his friend who had an art store would find them intriguing as well. He had taken the liberty of texting him a few photos of them. Sure enough, his friend found them fascinating and wanted to see them for himself. If Jim agreed, he would like to feature them in his art store, and maybe they could make an arrangement for Jim to paint more. God had already moved to Jim’s “there” and now Jim could get “there,” too. Furniture wasn’t his future, but his paintings were.
Sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees. But it’s there!! Dream big, plan, use your gifts and talents! Don’t waste a moment doubting anything you set your mind to! Just don’t get so focused on your “here” that you can’t see God might have already found a “there” for you. Change is what life is all about. It’s the way we handle the change that determines how successful the transition will be. Have no fear. God always has a plan for us even when we can’t see it. When we can’t see our way beyond the situation our life is in at the moment, we need to trust that God has a “there” already in place for us, just waiting on us to realize and accept. Others may not see your gifts, and may cause you to doubt yourself. God knows your gifts and talents, and will teach you to use them when the time is right. Live each day with positivity and hope, and always be open to receive your “there.”
Tami Loves…discovering the possibility each day brings!
