“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts”, says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.ft
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways and
my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9
I spent years in the sales world. It is a business that I do not care much for and struggle to accept. A few months ago, when my husband quit his job to start a sales job, I felt hopeless and angry. It was a world I did not want to reenter. After twenty years spent in that world, a world of numbers, dollars signs, crazy hours, dishonesty and manipulation all at the expense of family and integrity, I did not want to go back.
This was not the plan I had in mind. I did not understand why it felt like God, once again, had let me down and left me alone. I was struggling. Life was already hard, and it was as if He continued to pile on the difficult faster than I could even wrap my head around what was happening. But as usual, He knew what He was doing and as I sat back and patiently tried waiting to see where He was going to take me, I found myself filled with delight.
Life does not ever go as planned. Ever. And I am learning that my plans are truly less than spectacular compared to the faithfulness that arises out of the goodness that comes from trusting God’s plan. His ways are much greater because He is so much wiser. If I trust Him to unwind the obstacles of life instead of trying to unravel the ball of yarn myself, what He will create is far beyond anything I could possibly put together on my own.
Over the last few weeks, I have seen God use my husband to change my perspective and show me the opportunities that are available to serve and act with integrity. As my husband has put his faith into action before the dollar sign and the numbers game, I have watched him walk out his faith by sitting down with a young woman lost in addiction to share the gospel and buying her a bible instead of pushing a sale. I have watched him choose to put his family, his marriage first by choosing not to work weekends and to be home every day when I get home from work at the expense of not getting that extra appointment. By sitting with me in an emergency room and taking care of me all day on a day when his plans were to work. To watch him make our marriage his priority and through that choice, seeing God bless his work while strengthening a marriage that was weak and imploding under the crushing weight of difficult circumstances has allowed for a complete perspective change.
Knowing that each day, my husband prays for someone to share the gospel with and looks for ways to be the hands and feet of Jesus which means not always getting “the numbers” inspires me. Striving to fulfill big worldly dreams isn't at the top of our priority list. Because of our life experiences, our hearts are set toward people and sharing the hope that we have found in Jesus by offering encouragement and love to those God places in our path. It is an incredible thing to witness my husband do that daily and through it, God blessing us by providing all we need while strengthening our home and our marriage. However, I will add, that it does not mean we are free of struggles but it does mean we are becoming stronger together to overcome those struggles.
Little did I know how different this world, the sales world, could be. By simply making God the first priority and our marriage a priority before a job, and realizing it is more important to share the gospel than to sell something, everything is falling into place. Little by little, we are figuring this life out together. Learning the importance of trusting God’s goodness when we do not always understand His plan. There is definitely a learning curve, but He is gracious and kind and continues to draw us to Him as we seek Him above the distractions of this world. Trusting God’s plan is not always easy but His plan never fails.
No comments:
Post a Comment