Yes, No, Maybe

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'" -Jeremiah 29:11

Everyone has a plan. Some live and breath by it, others simply let it come and go as it will. Some have dreams that, if not fulfilled, can lead a person to despair. Some have wants, or desires that they wish more than anything can be fulfilled with one certain factor. Some have passions that they will give anything to pursue. Some simply feel led to something by God that they can't explain, it just kind of happens. Those to me are the most exciting, simply because things start happening when God totally takes control. Those things turn into your passions, your desires, and you realize how much you can do for God by pursuing those unexplainable dreams.

But what happens when God changes His mind? Actually, does he even do this? You have an unexplainable desire to succeed at something you once thought impossible, or to pursue something that seems so far out of your grasp that it seems unreachable; you begin to lose hope that you really can approach such a challenge. Yet, something still drives you to it. Then just when it seems like your not getting anywhere, -your in a rut, a hole, crossing a hurdle- the thing becomes clear like water. You can see where it's going; you know that it's a God thing because there is no way on earth that it could happen without Him. This dream actually starts becoming reality, and for a short time, your not left dreaming, but living the dream; you don't have to wake up this time.

But then time starts grabbing hold of you and pulling you back to the world you once knew; the euphoria you were experiencing leaves, and your left wondering how on earth you got back to Oz. There's no ruby slippers to bring you home, and your completely lost and bewildered. Something happens that you just can't explain, and your left wondering what went wrong. What was God telling you to do? Were you listening to Him, or your own heart?

It is truly shocking how fast an amazing adventure can turn completely around. You think that your doing exactly what God want's you to be doing; that your following the right things, holding onto the right things, grasping the right ideas. Your living a life you only dreamed of. But then all of a sudden it stops. Your left in the storm and can only see the sunshine on the other side of the street, but there's a lot of darkness between you and that sun.

What the heck happened?

God seemed to be telling you to hold on, to go against all logic, and continue going for it. You did. Things started happening. And then stopped. The question still remains; was it God, or was it you? And when that thing stops, and your on your hands and knees begging God for some clarification, and the dream just stays there, is it because your not truly surrendering, or is it because God is still telling you to go against the odds and hope for whatever it is that you desire?

And if you truly are stuck in a storm, how do you hear His voice through all the thunder and rain?

Maybe we're not meant to. Because God has a plan, maybe we're meant to be left in the dark in order to keep searching for the Light. Ultimately, this can only be resolved through trusting Him, right? Maybe we've been focusing too much on the outcomes, and not the journey. (I know I've said that before, but it's still just as true.) And even though it hurts beyond belief when that dream does come to an end (or what seems like the end, anyway), the only hope that can be found is that God's plan will only be a benefit to us...it will not hinder us or hurt us....it will only help us grow, prosper, and quite possibly, have a better outcome than we could have originally imagined.

But how do we find God's answers???