What do we do when something unexpected comes up in our lives?  We didn’t ask for it, nor are prepared for it.  It’s not necessarily a bad thing, and could even be a good thing, but because we didn’t write it on our agenda it shakes us up.  How do we make decisions about it?  How do we pray about it?

I am extremely purpose-driven.  I took a personality test many years ago that nailed me.  It said that if I believe in something, I will give it my 100%.  But, if I don’t believe in it, then I find it nearly impossible to do it.  Oh my!  This test was so right!  It explains all of the decisions I’ve made in my life.

As manager of our house (my husband is the leader, but I manage most of the daily affairs), I project, plan and prepare.  Those three p’s keep our home running smoothly most of the time. Then, the unexpected happens.  How do I handle it?  Where does it fit?  How does it fit?  Can I support it? Believe in it?  Do it?

The bigger question, is…do I believe He who is over all things in my life? If something is from God, whether I exepcted it or not, or wanted it or not, I must trust Romans 8:28,

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Ouch.  There it is.  His purposes – not mine.  I’ll be honest and say some things have come up that have altered my agenda.  Some I see as good. Some not so good.  And some – I don’t know how I feel about them yet.

I get all twisted up when trying to manage an agenda that has question marks written all over the plans.  I try to think of every possible scenario of how these unknowns fit into our family’s puzzle.  I can’t.  I don’t have all of the information.  That really bothers me!  I am a big-picture girl.  Let me see the end product, and then we can work out a plan to get there.

This thinking is seldom how God operates.  Why?  Because if we could see the bigger picture, #1 we may or may not like what we see and therefore we will either bulldoze the quickest path to the outcome or be purposefully disobedient to stave it off.  Either way, our hands are all over it – not God’s.  #2 – Seeing the bigger picture requires no trust on our part.  Trust draws us near to God.  He didn’t create us to be mindless robots. There are hundreds of decisions we make every day.  But, some stuff requires trust, because trust forces us to pry our hands off of the situation and surrender control.  Ug.  That is hard.

When praying for a friend today, I realized I needed the same prayer!  It went something like this:

Dear Lord, please give my friend eyes to see You, ears to hear You, a mind to understand what You are asking her to do, hands & feet to do it, and a heart to accept it.  Oh, and a big dose of courage would be great, too.

I forget that talking to God about my concerns isn’t necessarily doubting Him.  He is big enough to handle our questions.  He knows our hearts, and therefore He urges us to talk things over with Him.  It’s okay.  He also knows we are human.  Dust breathed to life.  If you’re like me, we shy away from God because approaching Him with feelings, questions, and concerns makes us feel guilty – like we don’t have enough faith.  But, it is times exactly like these that grow our faith.  If we avoid the journey of communicating with God, we miss the opportunity to stretch and strengthen our faith on the path He has chosen for us.

As I was exercising this morning, I talked to God much like I would my husband.  Plain English, nothing fancy, and just told Him my thoughts, concerns, opinions and feelings.  Because of this time with God, I am reminded He is in charge, He loves us, and is working for His glory and our best interest.  And, nothing I talked to Him about is mine to ultimately control and destine. What a weight off of my shoulders!

Believers walk in the path crafted by God.  We didn’t create the path.  We follow it.  May all of us have the courage, strength and audacious faith to take the first step.