Have you ever been walking along your merry way, enjoying the life you are living when God throws a huge curveball at you? Maybe it’s something physical like a change in location or maybe its something personal like a change of heart. Regardless, sometimes our Heavenly Architect needs us unexpectedly and we wonder what we could possibly do for Him!
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
Psalm 32:8
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
I’ve experienced moments of sudden direction change. Times when I knew God was sending me on a different path than I had anticipated. I’ll admit I dragged my feet on most of them.
I had good reasons for why I shouldn’t jump in with both feet…finances, time, qualifications. Those are legitimate concerns that can make or break something!
God’s Unexpected Plans Are Just as Good as the Expected Ones
Let me tell you a little secret, in my experience anyways. God’s unexpected plans have always turned out to be so much better than all the ones I thought I had figured out.
You see when we have to pivot on a moment’s notice, then that means we have to rely on faith. We have to trust that our Heavenly Father knows what He is doing and we have to trust that He is going to take care of us.
You know what ends up happening? We grow in faith!
Trusting God in the moments of uncertainty is always better than trusting yourself, even if you feel sure.
It’s like killing two birds with one stone. Not only do we end up on a new path for God but we also grow so much stronger in our relationship with Him, total win-win!
But taking that first step is the scary part. We can read all the Bible verses that tell us “God knows the plans for you…” but it still is incredibly scary to take the leap. We know it worked out for other people, but what if we fail?
Everything Has It’s Purpose
Even if the thing doesn’t work out according to our expectations, God uses it for His will. Our sudden direction change may not look like it succeeded but to God, it may have done exactly what it needed to. The important thing is that we stepped up and took the task God handed to us.
At the end of the day, if we can say “Lord, that was hard and it didn’t work out how I thought it would, but you showed me your faithfulness!” Then we have grown as Christians. There also is a good chance we have gained some insight along the way too.
Fear is Normal, Fight it With Faith
So what do you do when your Creator throws you back onto His wheel and says He needs to make a water jug instead of a bowl? You face it with faith! You may have been enjoying your life as a bowl but guess what, God might need you to be able to pour into others instead of serving yourself.
You may feel like you don’t have the skills necessary for this. How can you pour into others when you are raising an already exhausting family? Or how can you manage a job and serve?
Questions, questions, questions that only our Lord has answers to. You have to take the leap of faith first though. God doesn’t reveal everything to us at once because we don’t need details, we just need Him.
We are never too old to learn something new. We are given gifts that sometimes don’t come to fruition until we are older (and wiser). Sometimes we are asked to set some gifts on a shelf for a while so we can strengthen another area.
If the task or sudden change comes, pray that you will be ready to take it. Pray for faith, pray for strength and pray for acceptance. Our Lord and King knows what we need before we do and His ways are higher than our ways. It is in our best interest to follow His plans, even when we feel unqualified.
Expect the unexpected and have faith. God’s plans are always good, even when we feel unsure about them!
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