I’d been yelling that phrase a lot lately... at the dirt ... in my garden. Little buggers, otherwise known as seeds, did not grow fast enough for my patience level (which is comparable to that of a 3-year-old learning calculus), but then one glorious day we had baby plants! When I saw those adorable little sprouts, I jumped for joy then looked to my husband and said, “Those look like beans; I thought we planted snap peas there...” Lesson learned: Plant markers are a good idea.
Isn’t that kind of how life works too though? We plant something (figuratively), wait for it to grow and then one day it sprouts, but hold on, that’s not what you thought you had planted... Or let’s take it a step further; God plants us somewhere and we think we’re going to grow into this beautiful sunflower (or strong tree, for you men) but when we look in the mirror we see a dandelion, which is still very useful in many medicinal ways, but not quite the sunflower you were hoping for. (Well that was unexpected.) So, instead of focusing on what you grew into, take that moment and focus on the fact that you grew; let God take care of the rest.
God’s plans are, in my opinion, can be the most elusive entity I’ve ever encountered. So many times the Lord found me on my knees in some sanctuary, bawling my eyes out begging for His answer or His direction for my life. My most relevant experience, I believe I mentioned before, was when I was moving here to Omaha from Salem, Oregon.
I was visiting a friend while she was still in college some years back, when she had to leave for class. I had a couple hours to kill while I waited, so I decided to wander the campus. Eventually I found myself in the chapel ... and then on my knees. Alone, with tears streaming down my face, I begged God to tell me if I was supposed to move to Omaha or not.
I was quite unhappy in Oregon and needed change for my life and the friends here were begging me to move back. While I was praying, I lifted my head and felt the most overwhelming sense of peace and assurance that I was going to call Omaha my home.
That was ten years ago, and I’ve lived in Omaha for seven of those years, as of last month. I’m happily married, my husband and I close on our first house this month and I just completed my fourth year with LCM. I have my Thanksgiving Day “ministry” (which I just like that I get to eat delicious food with some amazing people), I was given the newsletter to create each month, and I’m working on redesigning the mission of my art ministry “heARTeffect”.
God has been so good and has made me realize that my plan had NOTHING to do with His plan for me here. Not only did I get planted and grow here,
I flourished and prospered here. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life and it’s all because God took me from my roots in Oregon and transplanted me here.
Grow where you are planted ... trust that God has a plan for your life wherever it is He decides to take you, be sure to listen and most importantly, obey... don’t be the next Jonah. :)
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