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Living in God's Planning

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

living in God's planning“Hey, look at this. It just came out!” my young friend Loretta said.

Then she showed me a real estate ad from a local newspaper. I knew her affluent family was selling their older upscale home.  

She smiled as I read aloud the listing’s ending: “Five bedrooms, four baths, sauna, quarters.”

“What’s quarters?” Loretta asked.

“That’s a real estate term for a bedroom and bathroom for a live-in housekeeper,” I explained.

Loretta nodded. “We have a room like that off the kitchen. It’s where my nanny stayed years ago. But we use it for storage now.” 

“Well, I think your agent saw that, knew what it could be, and worded the ad that way,” I said.

Saying she had to get to work, Loretta moved on with her paper. But after she left, I thought more about our conversation and realized an unexpected spiritual meaning.

Loretta’s agent worded the ad to reflect how a storeroom could be something better, which is how God works in my life. This typically occurs when I want to serve the Lord but don’t think I can because I’m too ordinary and average. But that’s certainly not how God sees me.

Too often, I forget that if the Lord’s plans include a particular task, He will provide what I need to accomplish it. I can follow His plans because an empowered servant isn’t ordinary.

God has wonderful plans for us, but if we accept the challenge, we must trust Him.  When we do, we shouldn’t hesitate because we feel inadequate.

How can you better trust God to help you carry out His plans? 

(photo courtesy of pixabay.com.)

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Anne Adams

Anne Adams is a retired church staffer living in Athens, Texas, where she writes a historical column for the local newspaper. Her book Brittany, Child of Joy, tells about her mentally disabled daughter and was published in 1986 by Broadman. She has taught junior college history and has published in Christian and secular publications for forty years.