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In today’s hurried society it is so easy to get caught up on the merry-go-round of life as the world has come to know it. We are told from a very young age that we must set goals and design a plan for our future. With out a plan we will surely fail.
Plans are great. Yes, they provide much needed direction. However, before we can plan our life or even our day we should first consider and come to a realization of the plans God have designed for our lives. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, “We are his offspring.” Acts 17:25-28
God has a uniquely designed plan for each of our lives. We were created for a specific purpose. The very place you are in today is because God wanted it to be so. The scriptures say he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live, how comforting is that. To know that among the madness and craziness of today’s society God has taken the time to work out the exact details of our entire live.
We so easily get pulled in varied directions; pleasing our spouse and doing the things we believe they want and desire, running from this activity to the next in an effort to mold and shape our children’s futures, climbing the corporate ladder or growing our business. These things can bury us under a mound of to do lists. They can also cause us to become weary and to begin to look for things to cut out of our schedules. When we begin to do this at times we unknowingly begin to cut out the things that keep us close to God. Our prayer time begins to be cut short, we put off studying our Bible and we don’t take the time needed to renew ourselves spiritually. This is not the life God has intended for us. God intends for us to live a glorious life. “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Romans 8:29-31.” We were called by God. Hand picked to live the glorious live he planned for us.
God delights in our happiness. By no means does he intend for us to be saddened or lonely. However, he does expect us to put him first. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the LORD. “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops.” Haggai 1:8-10. This passage clearly shows that God is not pleased when we run around taking care of our wants and desires, but neglecting him.
As humans we also have the tendency to get caught up in people pleasing. We fear rejection and loneliness so we become hesitant to say no. This leads to over crowded schedules, bitterness and frustration. We commit to so many different things that at times we want to avoid doing anything. Then instead of facing the facts for what they are. We did not adhere to Matthew 5:37 Simply let your “‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. We become frustrated and overwhelmed and start to develop bitter feelings towards our family, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ and even God himself.”
This is not the way God intends for us to live our lives. God intends for us to be joyous and giving. Serving each other out of the security we find in his love.
About Author: Dr. Crystal M. Consonery is a Certified Faith Based Clinical Counselor, Life Coach, Speaker and Founder of Kaleidoscope Outreach, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing counseling services to individuals who due to a lack of finances or insurance go without the help they need. She is the Host of Coffee with Crystal on Blog Talk Radio, the author of the 30-day Women’s Devotional A Transcending Peace and the soon to be released Devotional From Mommy with Love. A native of Donaldsonville, LA she currently resides in a suburb of Metro-Atlanta with her husband and two children. For teaching/speaking engagement invitations please contact: kom@kaleidoscopenow.org or visit http://www.kaleidoscopenow.org.
