God's Plan

"But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy." 2 Kings 5:11 (NIV)

There are many people who walk around daily in a perpetual state of depression and disappointment. They are frustrated by their jobs, their family situations, their finances, their love lifes, etc.

Sometimes, we pray to God to help us through circumstances, to heal us of our ailments-both physical and mental. We ask for cures for our cancers, instant healing. We ask for our dream jobs to just pop into our spaces, for money to miraculously fall into our bank accounts, for bills to pay themselves, for our future husbands/wives to run into us in the market and fall madly in love immediately. However, God doesn't always work the way we want Him to. His plans and our plans are sometimes very different.

In my life there have been numerous times when, inspite my best planning, things just didn't work out the way I'd expected them to. It has always, without fail, worked out though. In the end, I had been blessed with more than I'd ever even asked for. The challenges and difficulties I faced along the way, turned out to be for my betterment. I learned to appreciate my blessings. More importantly, I learned that God doesn't always fix our problems when and how we'd like Him to, but He always makes things work out for the better for those who trust and believe in Him. If we take the lessons He sends to us, if we trust that His plan is greater than our own, then we can grow closer to Him, accessing more and more of His blessings with each step.

God and Storms

God is the center of everything. There is no success, no failure, no breath that exists without Him. We thank God for the successes, we call Him when we are in the midst of storms, but we often fail to thank Him for the storm.
Storms are multifaceted, complex creations. If you ever sat back and reflected during a storm, you would be able to see so much of God's work at play. Each component of a storm is necessary for the circumstances that persist. For me, the analogy is perfect with the trials we encounter daily...some are showers, some are thunderstorms, others are hurricanes, tornados, tsunamis,earthquakes. Yet, inspite the seeming damage, the hurt, pain, devastation; there are other effects we often take for granted.
Think of the analogy a little more: the clouds that precede the storms are the small warnings that God sends. Sometimes, we pay attention to them (and prepare ourselves accordingly- we evacuate our homes, our relationships, our jobs, etc.) and have faith that God will carry us through the storm. Other times, we are so preoccupied with our own worlds that we don't hear Him. We forget to shut up and look up...and we are caught off guard. And, in these circumstances, the storms hit us hard...damage is much more extensive.
The rain, made of the water He made, cleanses our worlds. It sometimes rains so heavily that we have to stop what we are doing (ever been driving and couldn't see?) or it just sprinkles enough to clean our lenses...refocus our perspectives. If you look deeper, you can find the leaks in your umbrella with just a sprinkle (are you focusing too much on your man/woman? your job? your bank account?)
The thunder is God's way of speaking to us. He reminds us of His strength, of His power. The lightning is the light that guides His voice. The light that makes those of us who are deaf, SEE the beautiful strength and power of His creation.
The winds, blowing to cool us down, offer us fresh air to breathe. We are blessed with new ideas, new lives, new paths uncovered. Messages are carried in the wind...seeds are transported, life is replanted. When we resist the winds, instead of enjoying it, we stay where we are...and when that gets old; we have built walls around us so high we can't be blown away by any of the amazing miracles of God.
Embrace the storm...when you are damaged, no matter how severely, thank God for the chance to rebuild and make changes. Ask God to help mold you into the person He wants you to be. And when it is all over, enjoy the rainbow, and emerge with a smile, purified heart, and a down to earth attitude.
Recognize that storms happen for a variety of reasons:
1.) We have lost focus on Him and stopped following directions... we are then redirected.
2.) Our hearts, minds, souls are unclean, infested with temptation or evil thoughts, and He cleanses (sometimes scrubs) our hatred, jealousy, contempt, etc. away.
3.) To make sure that we always appreciate the green things we have been blessed with. To make sure that we see the beauty in the things He has created.
4.) To serve as testaments to His strength...and His mercy...remember Who brought you through that storm.
5.)To allow you to heal...we carry wounded hearts, we nurse our pains and aches, but we don't heal properly. He puts His ointment on it, takes away scars..and leaves some as a testimony, as evidence of what He can bring you through.
So, on a personal note, as I look through the storms in my past: Hurricane Rape, Hurricane Cancer, Tropical Storm Haters, Earthquakes of Death, etc., I thank God. A gem more valuable than a pearl and stronger than a diamond is being created. The beautiful delicacy of a butterfly is emerging...and in time, her wings will spread and His wind will carry her closer to Him.