Thwarted plans....encouragement for when things don't go your way

John Lennon was perhaps most wise when he penned, "life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" – many would agree his words are right on. 

At times our life experience is smooth sailing.  Yet every so often we are forced to batten down our emotional hatches so as to remain afloat during circumstantial gales.  Navigating through upsets amidst the changing seasons of my own life has taught me lessons I’d rather not learn – yet they’ve birthed a maturity and sense of guarded wisdom that has since served to steady my wavering heart.  

Perhaps you too have had your patience tested, vision blurred or hopes dashed.  Or maybe we’ve spun our own wheels so deep that the situational (or relational) ditch we’ve dug seems impossible to escape.  

Moments like these breed companionship with discouragement and despair.  At times they often lead our wounded souls into the slimy, dark pit of worry and hopelessness. 

Still others encounter sudden and tragic loss -- the premature passing of a loved one, a chronic illness or the death of a dream.    While at times seemingly unexplainable, suffering and evil is a stark reality – to which no one is immune.  Sometimes all we are able to do is ask, where was God?  why her?  why him?  why me?

I’ll not attempt to explain the reasons for tragic suffering – but leave that for wise theologians as well as for the survivors, whose telling of rising amidst life’s greatest storms speak for themselves. 

While a recent tragedy may not be your story, you might be within a painful season of defeat and frustration due to circumstances beyond your control.  Worse yet, perhaps your misery is a result of personal failure.  Regardless of the cause, when life is not “going your way”, may the following give you reason for looking to the future with hopeful anticipation.

Bring your disappointment to God

God waits for us to approach Him unashamedly -- sharing our disillusionment and regret openly and honestly – with the expectation that He will hear and respond.  The apostle Paul writes “give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you” I Peter 5:7. 

Just as David wrote in the Psalms, we too can trust that God can rescue us from the pit. 

 “I waited and waited and waited for God.  At last He looked; finally He listened.  He lifted me out of the ditch, pulled me from deep mud.  He stood me up on a solid rock to make sure I wouldn’t slip.”  Psalm 40:1-2 The Message.

When called upon, God promises to bring hope and comfort amidst the dark and lonely seasons.  The apostle Paul also wrote about the hope that faith in Jesus brings and likens it to “having the eyes of your heart flooded with light.” Ephesians 1:18, Amplified Bible. 

God is not limited by our misfortune

God can work amidst adverse circumstances and personal failures.  In fact, throughout history God has used the weak and unlikely to accomplish the impossible.  God continues to show Himself strong at our weakest moments.  Perhaps it is our resistance to His ways that hinders our ability to experience His deliverance.  

So, slow down, take a deep breath and hear God saying to you right now, “your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on me” Isaiah 30:15 The Message.

God may have another, better plan

When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.  When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead end—Because I am God, your personal God, Isaiah 43:2 The Message.

God knows what He is doing.  When our plans don’t work out, we can trust that His will.  He has “plans to take care of us, not abandon us, and to give us the future we’ve hoped for”  Jeremiah 29:11 The Message. 

While these truths may bring cerebral calm, our hearts are often slower to catch on. Yet we can be assured that God is aware of the trials (and even tragedies) we face.  He sees when our well-orchestrated plans collide with circumstances beyond our control.  And when things don’t go our way…. we can trust that God’s plans and purposes remain. 

"But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations." Psalm 33:11.

 "Your eternal word, O LORD, stands firm in heaven. Your faithfulness extends to every generation as enduring as the earth you created. Your regulations remain true to this day for EVERYTHING SERVES YOUR PLANS." Psalm 119:89-91 New Living Translation (emphasis mine).

As followers of Jesus, we can depend upon these truths --- if you are not trusting in Jesus or if you are unsure of where you stand with God – please visit www.needhim.com

caught in a trap?

Ever have one of those days? I mean....one of those days when all is well with your world, your day is going well... and then....snap! Have you found yourself caught in something you thought you had overcome or mastered? Some of you may completely understand what I'm talking about. Well - I recently had one of those days.

I'm not a trapper. While l admit to being the outdoorsy type -- I love camping, hiking and all that stuff. But when it comes to wild animals and catching them...that is not on my list of favorite things to do. However, my brother was a trapper (and maybe he still is!) and I was exposed to "trapping" by way of his youthful hobby.

The early years of my childhood were spent on an 80 acre farm in rural upstate New York. My brothers & I were exposed to (and indulged in) all sorts of farm activities. We had pigs, chickens, ducks, cows, horses, sheep, goats and even a few hunting dogs. A book could be written about our family's move from the city to a farmhouse lacking indoor plumbing, and all of the animal-related antics that occurred during the 8 years we spent there. (thankfully indoor plumbing was installed & working several months after moving in)

Watching my brother trap during those farm years is where my knowledge of trapping comes in. You see, there are many kinds of traps. Experienced trappers use different types of traps during different seasons for different animals. There are even traps designed for the actual purpose of the animal being trapped. One trap may be used to capture and relocate an animal. Other traps put an animal out of its misery immediately, (warning....graphic here) breaking their back and killing them instantly. While others capture the animal by a body part, leaving the poor creature to suffer until the trapper arrives. Or even worse (& more graphic), until the trapped body part is chewed off by the animal, thereby saving its precious life.

Trappers not only need to use the right trap to catch their prey, but they also need to know just where to put them. My brother was really good at this. A swamp meandered through the farm fields behind our house -- my brother placed those traps in the water, ready to catch the unlucky muskrat who, while following his regular swimming pathway, triggers a trap...and ends up caught! So, a good trapper will know what trap to use and where to place it.

Life "traps" can be the same - each with their own intent and purpose in mind. Traps seem to be uniquely designed for people, situations and experiences differently. So - this is where I found myself - facing a trap. Call it what you want - a temptation, opportunity to screw up, or fall into an unhealthy pattern - a trap just the same.

I am a firm believer that Satan is real and he is just waiting to trip me up -- well, trap me. He is pleased when I get caught in one and gets more and more annoyed when I escape one or better yet - avoid it completely.

God calls me His precious child. That makes Satan my enemy. This enemy has been watching me (and some of you) for a long time and seems to know patterns well -- just like a trapper who knows what trap to use and where to place it in order to catch his prey.

Worse yet - these "traps" can be set up to just like animal traps - some meant to catch & relocate, some to kill their prey instantly (or kill a dream, relationship, _____ - you fill in the blank) and some catch partly - leaving us with the only option, cutting something off completely and leaving it behind.

Thankfully - with time and a whole lot of "listening", I get wiser and better at recognizing dangerous territory - those places where traps have been placed by my enemy. Sometimes I'm not all that smart. Like when something stressful occurs -- I may reach for something to comfort me (chips & salsa aren't necessarily bad - but eating the entire bag? come on!). For some of us it isn't chips & salsa but its pie, hamburgers, pizza, chocolate -- or any other substance. Just pick one. Others shop. Worse yet, some of us become angry and bitter - lashing out at those who don't realize they are not really the one with the problem. And sometimes I find myself caught knee-deep in a situation that is more complicated to get out of than it was to avoid altogether.

Traps - they are out there girls. I'll bet that some of you, just like me - know exactly what traps could best catch you. I'll bet we all have stories of all sorts of traps from our past. Some have caught & relocated us, some have been deadly (figuratively here), and some have required that we cut off part of us. Whew....at least we are alive to tell!

I've often felt as if my traps are unique - that surely no one I know could possibly be dodging the same dreadful traps placed along my life's path. Boy was I wrong. 1 Corinthians 10:13 clearly states that others share the same struggles I do. "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience" (NLT). The best news is what comes next, "all you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it" (The Message). The Amplified version states "He will always also provide the way out, the means of escape to a landing place" - this is great news!!

Not only do I have good company in my struggles, but God promises to be there for me, showing me a way out, a path that leads me away from the trap or temptation set before me. Better yet - its an escape! How this looks is different for all of us, yet to all of us -- it is the same promise. No one has been tempted by something that is not common to all - remember that the next time someone nearly has a heart attack when you share your struggle! Remember too that God is waiting on us to call out to Him in the midst of that struggle - when we find ourselves facing (or caught in) a trap - there is ALWAYS a way out - one offered to us by none other than God Himself. HE is the way out.

God sent Jesus Christ to this earth for our ultimate rescue, to rescue us from an eternity apart from God. Jesus also came to show us how to live day by day, not only in freedom from the guilt and shame of past traps, but also for the future - when we face the traps strategically placed in our paths. A way out is ready and waiting ..........