Events of a Lifetime

When I was younger, my family used to go to the international draft horse show in Lansing, MI. There are the most beautiful horses there . . . Belgians, Percherons, Clydesdales (my personal favorite), and others. I loved it, because I've always loved horses. When I was at the show I was surrounded by them, and they towered over me. They are beautifully powerful creatures. Well, one year we were watching Belgians pull semi-trucks and we were up by the fence that surrounded the arena instead of in the stadium bleachers. I was up on a railing against a wall a few feet from the fence, right in front of the horses (keep in mind that this fence is very old and not very sturdy). Well, the owners tried to hook up the horses, but they missed the clip. The horses heard the clang of the metal, and took off. They know that when they're hooked up, they're supposed to run full speed. So they did. Right for me . . . the only thing between us was that stupid fence. Thankfully, and amazingly, the fence (and a couple people) held the horses back. Which is especially good since I was frozen in fear and could not remove myself from the railing . . . and those beasts would have demolished me. The stadium went from a quiet crowd watching the truck pull event, to a crowd of panic and injured people in much less than a minute.

One thing that I cannot stop thinking about lately is how life can change in an instant. Sometimes it's obvious, like when we graduate from High School (or college). It changes the moment our car crashes. It changes the moment we get a job. It changes the moment we become pregnant, and again the moment the baby is born . . . and then again when a family member passes away. Sometimes it's less obvious, like the moment we find a boyfriend who, although we don't know it at the time, will later become our husband. These moments all change our lives forever, and it is up to us to make the most of the outcome.

Obviously some events do not turn out favorably, such as the moment when a family member is diagnosed with a terminal illness. However, how do we spend our lives when that family member does, unfortunately, pass away? Do we sulk around for years, depressed and heartbroken? No, we eventually stop grieving and return to our lives, remembering our lost loved one. What about when we are in a car accident . . . do we stop driving out of fear? I sure hope not! I know I didn't . . . I got back in the car and drove home, a bit wiser and more cautious from my experience.
I think that many of us find it difficult at times to add Christianity and a spiritual life into our new lifestyle. And of course, when change first occurs, life is very unstable and different. But how great it is to have an unchanging, ever-stable God! When we are going through change, that is when we should be turning to God most, to help us make the best of our situation, to help us survive through it, and help us to use our lifestyle even more to His glory.

All of these instant changes make it very difficult to have our own plan. Maybe God does these things on purpose, hmm? I may plan to be a teacher, but then again I may not find a job as a teacher because God's plan is for me to be a missionary in a Spanish-speaking country. I don't really think that's what He wants, at least not right now. But it's a possibility. But God doesn't care about my plan, and when He wants and plans something for my life, He will do it regardless.

Life can change in an instant, whether we expect it to or not. It is our responsibility to use these changes to ours and God's advantages. God never changes, so we must rely on him during times of change to keep us sane. These changes are part of God's plan and most likely not part of ours. So don't have a strict plan. God's got it covered.




"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