Hope and a Good Future

“I know what I am planning for you,” says the Lord. “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future. Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will search for me. And when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me!  I will let you find me,” says the Lord. “And I will bring you back from your captivity. I forced you to leave this place, but I will gather you from all the nations, from the places I have sent you as captives,” says the Lord. “And I will bring you back to this place.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11-14 (New Century Version)

You would think that by now, with almost 56 years of experience at this sort of thing, I would know how God works. You would think that He would no longer surprise me. You would think that I would KNOW that He would eventually lead me out of the Wilderness.

Um. Yeah. Well, so much for thinking…

Several years ago (eight, to be exact), a series of hunches, feelings, yearnings, coincidences and a HUGE leap of faith brought me to a job that was perfect for me. The pay was lousy (less than 20% of the salary I walked away from a few months earlier), and some most of my friends thought I was crazy. Still, I knew I was supposed to be there. I knew the special seeds of purpose that God planted in my heart when I was in the 4th grade had finally reached maturity.

I worked hard at that job for the next year. I turned down some seemingly better (MUCH better) job offers along the way because I believed I was already doing the job God planned for me.

Almost exactly a year later, another job became available in the same organization. As I explained in this post, I really didn’t want THAT job. I argued with God and agonized about the future…. but He had a plan.

A plan for hope and a GOOD future.

And I believed I would be doing what He called me to do in that very place for the rest of my working life.

I was wrong.

Three years ago, near the beginning of 2010, I realized I wasn’t supposed to be there forever after all. Once again, I questioned God’s authority. (Yes, I know we aren’t supposed to do that, but I feel sure I’m not the only one. Just maybe one of the few who admits it…)

God has a special way of making His point with me when I resist His direction, so I finally gave up the fight and walked away from my “dream job” in the fall of 2010. I grieved for the next two years.

Until….

[It’s time for me to get ready for church. I will finish the story another day.]

What do you believe God has planned for your life? What do you believe your purpose is?

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