Plans for you...

The big dinner is planned, the pie crusts are rolling and the rolls are rising.

Well, maybe not. For some, it is the beginning of a seasonal struggle. Inundated with Norman Rockwell-ian images of family feasts, their hearts begin to sink through the sidewalks. We have heard it said that it is “better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all” (Tennyson, 1851). Surely, once we have tasted love, it is never forgotten, even though its absence can be painful. But, this absence can be a sinkhole in the midst of the joyous landscape.

There are soup lines and community feasts for those that want to go. But, that may not be the answer for you. After all, you don’t really know anybody, so you can still feel alone. “God knows,” you shrug. “He must have a reason for wanting me to be go through this.”

I’m sure He does, but it may not be the reason you have in mind.

First and foremost, recognizing that He really does have a plan for you is vital. If you don’t know that, you are going to drift out of the harbor. So, put down your anchor in the hope of His goodness and His plan. “I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for” Jeremiah 29:11, The Message.

He’s not making light of your pain and neither am I. But, it won’t go away unless you fill it with something else. And that is His never ending love for you. I’m not talking about denying the emptiness. I’m talking about not denying that His plan is good. If it isn’t good, it’s not His plan.

So, find a quiet spot and sit there for a few minutes. Re-focus. Look at things from His perspective. He is ready to show you that you are just the person He needs to go visit some folks in the hospital and bring them a smile. Maybe you are the one that should be serving the mashed potatoes at the soup kitchen. I don’t know what God will show you, but I do know this: He won’t show you anything unless you really want to see. And when you do see it and you go do it, you will be wondering what happened to the sinkhole!

God is all about doing new things, you see. He has never resigned as the Creator. Don’t waste time looking back at what was. Look forward to His plan for you… with thanksgiving!

Intrapersonal Learning is the blogspot of Livingwell Seed Co.

Faithful that promised...

It was not a time to run the risk of praying ineffectively. We were not about wringing our hands and pacing the floor, for where is the faith in that? So, every thought of our beloved granddaughter brought the promises of Psalm 91 to mind and to mouth in thanks to God for His faithfulness. Her car had broken down 118 miles from home on her way home from college for Thanksgiving. “She dwells in the shelter of the Most High God… He gives His angels charge over her to keep her in all her ways… No evil befalls her…” It was four hours before her dad arrived. She sat outside a convenience store in a “sketchy” area, watching, in her words, “A few minor drug deals” go down.

When things are out of your control, do you automatically assume that they are in God’s control? Do you just assume He is going to work everything out alright? Certainly, God wants to work in the earth He created, He loves us and He wants His will to come to pass here. But God has always worked through covenants and we ignore that to our peril.

These agreements between two parties are not the kind of ‘promise anything today and forget it tomorrow’ thing we see in our day. They were for life or they meant death. Since the betrayal in the garden (the breaking of the first covenant), God has instituted many covenants of peace with Human-Kind, where He promised to provide, protect and prosper (among other things). But there has always been a clearly stated “if” clause. There was always something Human-Kind had to do. And the only time it ever worked or went well was when Human-Kind (HK) did his or her part.

God, you see, has already done His part. Our part is to believe it.

We do not have to ask if God wants to protect our dear ones. We knew that He did. We just began to give Him thanks for it according to that promise, and all the airwaves of the universe carried the message, “Leave this one alone, she belongs to the Most High.”

Look in His promises and you will find a God who cares for and loves you beyond anything you can imagine. He has already provided the very best for you.

Give thanks!

Welcome to Intrapersonal Learning, the blogspot of Livingwell Seed Co.