Focus Verse: For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 (AMP)
This past weekend I had the pleasure of skiing for the very first time. This is something that I have always wanted to do be never got around to it. So we got up on Saturday morning and headed out to hit the slopes. Now when we got there we were in for a surprise, there were no instructors that could teach us a beginner lesson AND all the beginner slopes were closed. Only the intermediate and advanced slopes were open, but after having a little self-taught practice in one of the lower graded areas, we were ready for the slopes.
We head towards the lift and ride about 15 or 20 minutes up. Once we got to the top, we realized it wasn’t going to be as easy as we though. For starters, what was taking most people about 7-10 minutes to ski back down, took us over an hour. Also, once we found a place that we considered safe to go down, we did and soon found out we were doing it all wrong.
At one point, we asked a random lady on the hill a question and thankfully she was an instructor. Once she realized it was our first time, she was excited to give us instructions. One of the most important things she shared with us is, you can’t go straight down the hill. Yes, your goal is to get to the bottom, however, the way you do that is by skiing across the mountain, in a “Z” like pattern.
This reminds me of our walk with Christ. Often times, we know where we are, get a good line of sight for a straight shot route to where we want to be, and we take it. But soon we realize God’s route for us is not that straight shot route that we think makes the most sense. He often times takes us on a detour causing our journey to be longer than we anticipated. But as our focus verse reminds us, He knows the plans that He has for us. He knows how long or short the process will be for us. Also, we can’t look at others to determine how long it will take us because everyone’s story is different.
Do you feel like it is taking way too long for you to get to where you know God is leading you,? Do you feel ike you are going in a “Z” like pattern down the hill instead of that straight shot route that you see? I encourage you today to meditate on Jeremiah 29:11.
Prayer: My heavenly Father, what a great leader You are! I thank You for the care and attention You give to my life. Oftentimes, I get discouraged when I see where I should be, but my route doesn’t take me straight there. Help me, Father, to remember that You are in control of my route and You know the plans that You have for me. In Your son, Jesus name, Amen!
Carl says
Come on now somebody!! Message!
Lisa says
That was dope!