I started off the year in 2019 with a mindset that was set upon me. I had desires for marriage, school, and fitness. Now, none of those things were bad desires to have especially in this day and age. However, they are not enjoyable if done incorrectly. I had intentions of finishing school to become a teacher. My heart explodes with joy when I think of students. I desired (and still do) to be a wife and live a life encouraging and supporting the man I would marry. As well as pursuing a fitness instructor license to teach others how to be kind to their body.
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I made a vow to God and it says:
| “Don’t ever let me leave You as You have never left me. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people. And You, God, will always be my God." |
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So, I followed in pursuit of my heart's desire to become the next elementary teacher in Memphis. Little did I know that the Lord was up to a greater plan for my life. Toward the end of my degree, I had to have surgery. But within that one trial, many things in my life had to be put on hold. I still graduated and I still remained steady with my boyfriend. However, what did not happen and what I hoped to have happened, did not. I did not pursue the Lord and His desire for my life. I had planned to get married to the man I loved when I finished college and start a family. I made a goal in my mind and I had planned my future out. Do you see where I am going here? Do you see what word is reoccurring in this post?
|_____ You guessed it, "I." Me, Courtney, thought I could plan out my own future? _____|
And honestly, I can, however, that would not be wise or God-honoring. And without me understanding the Word, and tuning into the Holy Spirit, that is exactly what I did not do. I tried to plan my life.
Then the Word of the Lord came to me one morning as I sat in the doctor's office alone.
He simply said, "I have great plans for you." ____________________________________
Do those words sound familiar at all to you? They should. Those words can be found in the GOOD book of Jeremiah. Before I go any further, did you see the word "I" in the Words that the Lord used to get my attention? He flipped my focus. In my lowest point, He took the focus off "selfie mode" and made it "Christ-focused". If we pull out the camera and switch the setting from self-focused and make it Christ-focused and zoom closer into chapter 29 verse 11 we can see those words spoken straight from the Lord to a man named Jeremiah. When the Lord spoke these words to Jeremiah, they were not words to only give comfort in the situation, but also in that season. The bigger picture in verses before verse 11 gives us a direct shot into what we are supposed to set our lenses too. Jeremiah gives them this step-by-step formula from God: “Also, seek the peace and the prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (29:7)
Now at that time in my life, I thought the Lord was just talking about how He was going to see me to the other side of this situation. But, boy was I far from it. He was giving me a glimpse into a promise He had planned for me.
|_____ _____ __ God was preparing me for what He had prepared for me. ___ _____ _____|
There is a saying I absolutely enjoy to say and it goes like this: God is preparing you for what He has planned for you.
Do you believe that? Well, you totally should!
God allowed me to be alone with no family or friends, just Him, His Son, and the Spirit in a doctor's office waiting to hear the life-changing news so that I could lean forward and listen.
| God allowed me to sit in the silence so that I could listen. |
Now, I sit here in total amazement and awe of the Lord. God not only has restored my relationship with Him, but He has also grown my desire for many things. I do not find myself standing in front of a classroom filled with students under the age of 10. But instead, I find myself at churches, booths, and on the ground with young girls as I disciple and encourage them through life.
You see, my thought process was not exactly where it should have been. God was preparing me in the classroom in college to teach. Do you see what He did? I am a teacher, it just does not look the way I thought it would. Not one moment of my education was wasted because I did not end up where I thought I should have been. Not one moment was wasted with me not being married and having that desired marriage. In fact, God allowed my relationship to come to an end so that I could start a new relationship with my Father in heaven.
There is not a wasted moment in your life either, my friend.
God allowed that friend to leave so you could have a best friend that will never leave your side. God allowed that relationship to end so that you could remain steadfast to Him and wait for His best. God allowed you to be alone so you could get alone with Him.
| God is a forward God. Are you leaning forward to listen? |
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