Enjoyed some good conversation Wednesday night in our discussion of Francis Chan's Crazy Love. We talked about Jeremiah 1:4-5 and how God chose Jeremiah to be a prophet before he was even born, which evokes the myriad of evasive questions about God's plan and purpose for our lives. "Does God have a plan for each one of us?" "How do I know God's will for my life?" "If God already knows what I'm going to do with my life, does he know what shirt I should wear to dinner tonight?" "And what about that whole predestination bit?" You get the picture...
I've certainly spent my fair share of time contemplating this jumble of ideas, but some thoughts were presented and discussed the other night that really helped me understand this whole "plan and purpose" debacle a bit better.
I think that God does have a plan for us, but it's not how we think of plans. We see tangible plans, like daily lists and events, where we might be in 5 or 10 years, where we will live, who we will share life with. But I think God's plan is more like this: He desires us to do whatever it is that will use the talents that He gave us to their full potential so that He will be glorified. Somewhat obvious, but I know there are times when I get wrapped up in the future and really wanting to find God's will for my life and getting frustrated when I can't figure out what that is. I need to think bigger picture...
So in regards to our friend Jeremiah... Maybe God didn't think 'Jeremiah will be a prophet as his "career", Paul will be a tentmaker/missionary, Susie will be a stay-at-home Mom, John will be a construction worker', etc. Maybe He thought, 'I already know Jeremiah will be a prophet because that's the role I created for him that will allow him to reach his full potential with the gifts I've given him. And if Jeremiah is truly seeking Me, then he'll find that role and play it out for My glory'. So then maybe God knows that Susie will be a stay-at-home Mom because that is the role in which Susie is at her absolute best and is able to glorify Him most...
I don't think God has planned every detail of my life (although yes, He knows it all). I think He has planned, and hopes, for me to do whatever it is that will fully utilize my talents to bring Him the most glory possible in the spec of time that I exist on this earth. He doesn't care whether I'm an artist, a business executive, or drive a trash truck. He just cares that I seek to use my talents to their full potential for His glory during my brief existence. As I'm typing this, I feel like that's sorta a 'no-brainer', but seems to shed a different light on the subject for me this week. Maybe instead of trying to figure out "what to do with my life", I should be looking at the talents I have and searching for the role that will use all of those to their full potential. Yes?
Finally, Allison shared a good thought that has stuck with me these last few days as well: "Wherever you are, be there. Be fully present."
Stop back by for one more post before departure time!
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