the FAITHFUL life

"...being a child of God isn’t about the easy life… it’s about the FAITHFUL life."

That's what I found my fingers typing on Natalie's blog this morning in response to what she's been struggling with (read it). I've always known that the life of a Christian wasn't easy. The Bible tells us as much! But every once in a while I find myself expecting things to always go my way or trying to rest in the fact that "my plans" are going to work out.

In talking with Natalie about what she is going to do when her little girl comes I've realized that I have absolutely no clue what my future looks like. In 11th grade I remember standing in the AP Chemistry lab talking to my lab partners/friends about how my life was going to work out. I was going to go to the Naval Academy, get a degree in engineering, apply to NASA and become an astronaut. Simple, right? Sure! NOT how God works. Unfortunately I had to learn that lesson a couple of times the hard way.

Of course I know what I would like to do and what I believe God is calling me to do, but I don't know for sure. All that I do know is that He is faithful beyond my imagination. His plans are to prosper me, NOT to harm me. He is in the process of reminding me of that and I'm thankful. I try to look at life with an attitude of excitement... I mean, it's better than a movie because you have NO IDEA what God is going to do!! Most of the time I'm just laughing at myself because who would have thought Miss "I'm going to be an astronaut and no one can stop me" would end up getting her FRENCH degree from CLEMSON to then go live in Belgium and come home to SPARTANBURG, SC (of all places...) to work with a ministry that I love and adore? If anyone would like to stand up and tell me that God doesn't have a sense of humor after hearing about my life, then forget it, because I'll just tell you to sit back down :)

Since I didn't know where I was going to be or what I was going to be doing 3 years ago when I graduated from Clemson, what makes me think that I know what even the next year holds?? I'm excited about it. I know that God isn't going to drop me and leave me. There are times when I try and do it with Him, but He is always there waiting (patiently, I might add) when I go sprinting back to Him. If only WE had that much faith in HIM. Wow. I wish I could get to that point and really see what God fully has in store for me.