I do not know about you, but my imagination can run wild sometimes. Even when things appear to be godly, it can turn for the worse, leaving thoughts such as “What was that about?!”.

One current lesson in my life is that I am not God. I know. I have been in this Christianity race for eight years now, and with each step of growth, it seems to get more complex. I have finally realized I genuinely have no control over anything. What little control I thought I had or was pretending I had, has been taken away from me.

“For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” – Hebrews 12:6-11

Loss never gets easier, and one of the most challenging things to learn and discern is confusing temporary things for lifelong things, at least for me. God may have used something in life for His glory and a blessing. However, it does not mean it gets to stay. I am not a fan of change in any aspect of my life, and it always seems to jolt me out of place, and right now, it seems to be coming from every angle.

“He who is flexible shall not be bent out of shape,” and I am pretty rigid. Since becoming a Christian eight years ago, there has been a constant in my life. There were several constants, and I guess I could say temporary constants as a Christian. We never know where God will lead us or what obstacles the paths may have on them, but the purpose of the journey is always to lead us closer to Jesus. He promises never to forsake us on our adventure with Him, and I like to imagine Him holding my hand. No matter how anxious I get, that always makes me feel better. Our walk and life’s ultimate goal is Jesus and not a fairy tale ending.  

Just because something was placed in our lives does not mean the narrative we created from it, no matter how “God-like” it seems, is reality. Things can quickly become an idol, and we can take a beautiful blessing and create an entire storyline out of it, ultimately taking control of God’s story. However, the harsh truth is that God is not bound to live out the PowerPoint presentation going through our minds no matter the timespan.  

God is God, and His plans and ways are higher than ours. He knows what is best for us and why He gives and takes away. He is the author and finisher of our faith, and we are just along for the ride.

“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.” – 1 John 2:19-20

“What are you going to teach me today?”

“What are your plans for me today?”

This can quickly lead to problems if we have expectations of what He is doing. Sometimes, He is doing a BRAND NEW THING, and we just have to trust Him in the new chapter. The author wrote the book with a purpose filled with plot twists to keep the reader interested. We can’t just stay in one chapter because it is safe and has a good narrative. If we trust the author, we know it will have a beautiful ending.

HIS story is ALWAYS more remarkable than anything we could ever begin to come up with. Sometimes, He does not allow that thing to happen no matter how much it made sense. The puzzle you were working on was coming together to make a beautiful picture, and when placing that last piece, the dog jumped on the table, and pieces flew everywhere. While you were scrambling to pick them up, the dog ate some of the pieces causing that puzzle never to be what the picture on the box said it would be. Maybe the picture on the box was wrong or that it was the wrong puzzle altogether that never would have been. There was a manufacturing glitch, and you bought it from the bargain bin.

“These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. 27But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.” – 1 John 2:26-27

There are many things to be said, but the point is that the picture you painted or the story you made up in your mind does not always line up with God’s story. He was showing you signs and red flags, but you chose to see the good and beautiful instead of what it was. When that story falls apart, it will leave you wondering what happened, but the reality is that the story was not the purpose of God. The purpose is to keep following God where He leads.

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” – 1 John 5:21