Man Plans, God Laughs

I have to say, things have been crazy over the last three blog posts. I went from complaining about not doing much in life, to doing more and changing more and facing more than I’ve had to in years. Talk about being careful what you write for. (I’m so witty)

The past couple months have been…tumultuous. There’s a word you don’t get to use every day. I guess that’s what happens when you get out of shape. I imagine God’s thought process to be something like this: “Hmm, Sam’s down there getting lazy. C’mon Sam. How many times do we have to go through this? You know what I have to do now. And you know it’s gonna hurt. But I love you too much to see you get fat and out of shape.” And then He waves His magic wand, and chaos ensues. Not really. But He does allow discomfort your way when He sees you getting dangerously comfortable. I think maybe that’s why St. Paul was always going through stuff. I think God figured that if He gave St. Paul a break, he’d snap back to his old self and go start killing Christians again. God figured the more suffering St. Paul went through, the busier he’d be. See, it really just comes down to scheduling. “I’m seeing a lot of empty time slots here, St. Paul. Don’t worry, I got some angry Jews on the way.”

But in the end, we know that suffering only brings good things. Check Romans 5: “because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” And really, to call what we spoiled Americans go through as suffering is pretty much watering down the word. Go ask Christians in China what suffering means. I’m sure you’d get a different picture. But still, no matter how it pales in comparison, it’s the only version I know. And to let it pass in vain is the real disservice.

I recently sent an email to a friend with the following thought: “I really have no idea the way God works, and I have even less of an idea as to what His plans are. All I know is that He is the only source of comfort and joy. We have to learn to cling to Him. Like cling with our nails. Because life isn't bearable when we let go. And if I can offer any advice that might be helpful to you...desperation isn't as scary as I thought it would be. If you're desperate for Christ, I think He'll acknowledge that. But don't get frustrated if you ask something and don't hear anything back. I really do believe that God just wants us to make decisions. Decisions that will lead us closer to Him. And if it's a decision that won't lead you closer to Him, He'll find a way to ruin your plans.”

Here’s to ruined plans.