brakes and waves

How many times do we hear from the Lord, in crazy and unusual ways, our world gets turned upside down and then, He puts on the brakes/pulls on the reigns/waves a big red stop sign in front of our face and says…I have another path for you?  Frusterating, much?

 

I have many theories on the reasons for this…join me in rationalizing, won’t you?

1. He wants us to be reassured that by following Him, we’re not doing the ‘wrong’ thing.  That He will keep throwing open doors until there’s a big ‘do not cross’ tape in front of it.  Then, we can turn to the cross for our guidance.  (Like how I did that?)

2.  He wants us and needs us to go a distance down a certain path in order to find another path.  And, in our human-ness, we stare at the first path, we yell at God that we want to continue on our shiny, sparkly way along it, that we had plans for what was next, that we had just gotten comfortable and were ready to settle in and go along for the ride, that we had just figured out what was on the map and the right twists and turns to make ~ and now He tells us to burn the map, look to Him and trust His direction.  But, if we hadn’t gone part of the way (in our mind, anyway) we couldn’t have found the on-ramp to this new, groovy, fabulous, although possibly more difficult road.  And, that can lead us somewhere even more wonderful!

3. He really just likes messing with us.  (Sometimes, I honestly believe this is true.)

 

 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  ~ Jeremiah 29:11

 

We can’t possibly have any idea of what these plans are.  The map we think we’re following is really a tiny corner of the monster map that God is looking at.  And, how tightly I cling to that tiny corner!  Thinking I know what is best, where to go, what to do!  How wise I believe I am with my tiny corner.   So much so, that I wedge myself into the tiny corner, afraid to leave because…what then???