God has a plan. Can you see it?

I’ve been doing a lot of talking about listening lately. And there is at least one more blog left in this Listening series. But it will have to wait for another day because God has a plan. And when God has a plan, it is best to either get on board or move out of the way.

Today, I am super excited and not for reasons you might imagine. Yes, the book is coming and will be available on Amazon March 10, 2019. But that’s not why I’m excited. I have a guest blogger, ready to share some insights on God’s plan for his life. Join me in welcoming my husband, Travis. I hope that in hearing some of his story, you will see that God has a plan for your life too.

Travis: I’ve heard it said many times that God has a plan for my life. I know He does. He has a plan for each of us. Sometimes though, our everyday struggles make us wonder, even doubt, what that plan is. But our faith reassures us that God’s plan for us is still in motion, guiding us down the path He has designed. Proverbs 3:5-6 says,“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your path straight.” I admit that often I try to make my own way which never quite works out.

When I first started my career as a firefighter, I knew most of the men and women I worked with because I had known them my entire life. There was one man in particular that I wanted to work for. He was the best captain on the department. I even asked the deputy chief if I could be assigned to him. I was granted the request to be assigned to his station, but not his shift. So I settled for soaking up all the firefighting knowledge I could at shift change. Even this was short-lived as he retired two months later. I attended his retirement party where I was introduced to his youngest daughter. A few years later, that girl would become my wife.

Now you may find this hard to believe but I haven’t always followed a straight and narrow path. God knew I needed the influence of Melissa and her family to keep me from straying too far. I realized a few years ago, that it wasn’t God’s intention for this man to be my captain. Instead, he was to be my father-in-law. Just this week, as I was driving home from the station, God opened the window a little wider, allowing me to see that His plan for us starts way before we ever realize it, even before conception.

I was born into a firefighting family. With my father being the Fire Chief of the department, I can’t remember ever not wanting to be a fireman. Growing up around the firehouse, I got to know all of the men and women that worked there, which made it easy to decide who I wanted to learn from. Now I can see God’s plan was already in motion the day I heard my first siren as a youngster.  The path I am on right now, today, actually began the day God created me.

You see, God is always working his plan out for all of us; guiding, pulling, even tugging on us on those difficult days. We don’t always see His plan at work in our lives. It took me 40+ years to see how God has been shaping my life so that I would be exactly where I am today. And don’t think for a minute that God’s plan will be easy. There will always be hard spots along the way. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” The struggles we face are all part of the plan. God’s desire for us is to lay those burdens at his feet and give thanks to Him for guiding us through those really tough sections of our path.

I have no idea where God’s plan will lead me tomorrow but I do know that He will be with me every step of the way. I am so thankful to be able to look back on my life thus far and to catch glimpses of His plan in motion. My hope and prayer is that your window opens up a little wider, so that you too can see what God has done for you in your journey down the path of life. God Bless!