I think we sometimes get on the whirlwind of life, going around and around so fast we forget to breathe. But it seems to be the slower moments that make the faster moments worth while. "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" challenged me to stop and think about some things in my life. Who am I helping on a day-to-day basis? Who am I hurting? How can I spend more time with the people I love the most? And how can I make sure that these people know how much I love them?
Each and every one of us has a divine purpose under heaven. God miraculously designed it that way. He designed each of us as a very specifically crafted piece to the giant puzzle. There are no strangers, just people you haven't met. There are no random acquaintances. Every small hourly job is significant. Each person you pass on the street is meaningful. Our friends, our family and our business acquaintances are all connected some how.
I think after we leave the finiteness of earth, our minds expand into seeing time a little bit more like our creator sees it. The older you are the quicker you watch the time fly by. I hate this, because I can't stop it. I realize that everything is fleeting and only God, his word and the souls of men last forever.
Because of that truth I used to think that everything outside of church and Bible study was meaningless. If only three things last forever, why spend time doing anything else? Why have a job that takes away from that? Why do things that are only fun for a little while? It made much more sense to only focus on what would last.
Fortunately, God intervened. He gave me an anal break and taught me to enjoy life as it is. I don't have to be perfect, but I'm still learning to let that go. I don't have to study the Bible 24/7 because it is completely impossible and completely distracting from the real life that goes on beyond that. I love to worship my Lord and go to church, but I have a social, professional, and personal life outside of that. These lives are not separate, they are simply different compartments of a single picture.
I think it is interesting that we don't choose as much as we think we choose. God's plans are sovereign, and that is the truth. I think our hearts are our guides, and even though we sometimes push against them, we still end up right where God puts us. Take a minute and look at where you are at. What specifically are you doing in this chapter of life? Why did God put you there? Maybe you hate it and you can't wait to get out of that place. Perhaps you see it as a waiting period and you are wishing the time to hurry and pass. Regardless of how you see it, you need to appreciate the moment and understand that purpose lies in you being there.
Now look at the people around you. Do you see how you effect them on a daily basis? Is it good or bad?
Unfortunately that cannot really happen. We all have to live in our specific places to fulfill our specific roles. If my aunts lived in Frederick all the time they wouldn't be able to help people in their towns. And if my best friends from college didn't do what they do, they wouldn't be where they are supposed to be. God has a reason and order for everything, we just have to accept it.
Sometimes the over-achiever in me gets anxious and irritated because things aren't perfect. I want stuff to be in order and by the book every time. Yet, the more I see of the real world, the more I am understanding the irrationality of this thought. A lot of times life is about picking up the pieces, feeling in the gaps, and making the most of what's in front of you. It isn't always glory, perfection and picture-perfect.
It's the gray areas that trick me. I'm prepared to go all in, or not at all, but when something requires an in-between stage, I panic. Earlier this year I had a lot of growing pains. I didn't want to be where I was supposed to be, and I didn't want to grow apart from my friends. I wanted to do what I wanted to do and leave everyone else out of it. George Bailey thought the same thing when he graduated...
What happens when you graduate college without a promised career, husband and best friend? God doesn't care if you didn't have this in your plans, because his are the only ones that matter.
I guess that is why I have always marveled at Proverbs 16:9, "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps."
There is an acquaintance I've met who I find very interesting. He is one of the best at his craft. He's one lots of awards around the world and makes lots of money doing what he does. The funny thing is he works out of a crummy old shop and receives not much notice locally. He told me once that he had planned to move to the big city and make it big. It seems to me that he has everything he needs to do this, so I asked him why he never did. He had a kid, so he stayed in this small town.
I think that is a familiar story for many of us. While it is easy to blame unplanned inconveniences as excuses for not living out the plans we made for our life early on, I think that this is quite the opposite. These "unplanned inconveniences" are actually God's humorous way of saying, "Never mind. Turn around. Head west instead of east." God does it so sneakily that we often don't see it as him. We see it as our arch-nemesis attacking us hypothetically some how, or our bad karma for being naturally sinful humans.
A change of perspective is a powerful thing.
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