How many times in your life have you hit a rough patch, or simply been in a holding pattern, waiting for the next steps to take? Ya, me too. I’m the type of person who takes a look at the situation and will pull every piece apart, looking for an answer. My dad used to call me “Future Girl” because I was always looking ahead. When I was young, I’d be on a ride at the amusement park looking for the next ride to go on. The present was just a pathway to the future.

I’ve grown a lot since then. I’ve learned to enjoy the present, but that “Future Girl” is a part of how I’m wired up. God uses that part of me to dream, design, find stumbling blocks in plans and solutions to avoid them, yet, I am always looking ahead, and when those trials, those holding patterns develop, I begin looking for solutions to get moving once again. Quite frankly, it’s exhausting being me sometimes. Thankfully, there is another way.

Faith has brought me to a place of yielding. God knows me. He knows my ways and He knows what lies ahead: “‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.‘” That verse is written on my heart. Why would I try to control the outcome of my circumstances with only a tiny glimpse of a potential future when the God of the universe already knows and has the best possible future waiting for me? This verse has been my peace in times of uncertainty and has strengthened my faith when something wonderful happens in my life and I look to those words and say “You were right Father.”

This time of year is turning into a time of waiting for me. Last year I waited. I waited and waited and waited for healing. It came slowly and with great uncertainty. It was a very dark place and because I was physically depleted, my spiritual health failed. I had little hope. But faith is a two-way street. Even though we are small, flawed human beings, God has faith in us. It’s a weird concept, but God knows the very core of our hearts, the depths of our souls that are sometimes shrouded from us – but never from Him. He knows every mustard seed, every small flame, every last ember hope we hold inside and that’s enough faith for Him.

I’ve been struggling lately; more waiting, more uncertainties. Yesterday, I found myself sliding back into “future girl.” I began interpreting events, pulling apart pieces and constructing a “future” about what I see, hear, and feel. It didn’t last long. I fell to my knees and apologized to my Abba Father for being selfish, putting myself before Him, my impatience, my momentary lack of trust. As I lay my head down for the night, I opened one of two devotions. The first was from Sarah Young’s “Jesus Calling.” It began with:

“As you become increasingly aware of My Presence, you find it easier to discern the way you should go… Instead of wondering about what is on the road ahead or worrying about what you should do if… or when…, you can concentrate on staying in communication with me. When you actually arrive at a choice-point, I will show you which direction to go.” It concludes with, “I will not leave you circling in deeply rutted paths… I will lead you… revealing to you things you did not know…Follow my guiding presence.”

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” ~Psalm 32:8

Those words were music to my ears. I was stunned that my mind and my heart had been so concerned with all that was spoken of in this devotion and yet, God placed it right in my lap to lift me up. Oh yes, He knows us well.

Then I turned to the second devotion from Joyce Meyer’s “Trusting God Day by Day.” If I wasn’t stunned before, I certainly was now. I’ve always asked God to make His ways very clear to me – billboard-sized if you will. The title of this devotion? “Your Plans or God’s Plans?”

“In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.” ~Proverbs 19:9

The first paragraph was my billboard,

“We must learn to wait for God’s plans to develop. He perfects everything that concerns us. True boldness moves in God’s timing; it moves at the right time.”

Did you hear that? “…wait for God’s plans to develop.” Develop. “Future girl” demands I move now, but God… no, He works steadily, in His own timing. He doesn’t just sing a song to produce something, He composes a symphony that will bring into creation something amazing! He is composing the next movement in my life. It is up to me to trust in God’s timing and remember that His plans are always best.

It’s not always easy to have that kind of faith, that kind of trust. Waiting, especially if it is for a long time, wears on us. But remember, when we are at our weakest points, God has faith in us. He will lift us up, give us strength and renew in us a spirit of patience and perseverance. If you have a “Future Girl” (or “Guy”) in you, that’s ok. Just remind yourself there are times in your life when God simply calls you to “Be still, and know that I am God” and allow Him to compose the next movement in your life’s symphony.

Bless and be blessed…

Sacrifice. There’s no way to sugar-coat it. It hurts. It’s supposed to. Sacrifice isn’t pleasant. It’s giving up something you love or value for a greater purpose. Whether you are the giver or recipient, sacrifice is a holy pain enveloped in humility and love.

We sacrifice in one way or another. As parents, we give up things in order to provide for our children. We sacrifice being “friends” with our children in order to grow them into responsible, healthy adults. We sacrifice financial freedom when we make large purchases, like a home. Some people sacrifice parts of their bodies for those they love, like a friend of mine who gave one of her kidneys to her son.

Sometimes we sacrifice relationships so that God has the space He desires to work in and through those hearts and lives. If that has ever happened to you, you know the depth of that pain and anguish. You were not the first to travel that journey – many have gone before you. Abraham, who loved both his sons, had to let go of Ishmael as God had required. Then Abraham was faced with sacrificing Isaac, yet God stopped that sacrifice at the last moment. Moses’ mother had to let her baby Moses go so that he would live. Hannah bore Samuel, the son she so desperately prayed to have. She sacrificed a life with her child as she dedicated him to God and sent him to grow up in the temple, fully devoted to the One who gave him to her in the first place. Each one of these individuals moved through their pain to sacrifice, knowing that they were letting go of what they loved for a greater purpose… and God fully understands, for His was the greatest sacrifice of all.

“For God so loved that world, that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” ~John 3:16

“He gave His one and only Son…” Why? Out of love. For whom? For you and for me, and for every person God has ever created. The Father sacrificed (for a time) His relationship with His Son to restore His relationship with us. In the same way, Jesus sacrificed His life for us, even though He had the power to come down off that cross at any time. Through our sacrifices – the pain and anguish we feel on the inside – we can relate to when we read in Scripture the torture Jesus experienced… and He knows completely the pain we feel when we sacrifice. Sacrifice hurts, but we can find joy in it and we should.

Again and again, God speaks in His Word the blessings of sacrifice. God gave Abraham His peace that passes all understanding when Abraham obeyed and let Ishmael go. God then blessed Abraham again with restoring his relationship with Isaac and blessing generations to come. God was testing Abraham’s faith; His intention was never to take the life of Isaac, but Abraham didn’t know that at the time. Moses’ mother let go of her baby boy because her faith in God was stronger than her concern of setting her son to float away down a river. She was obedient to her faith. God blessed her by returning her to her son as a caretaker until he was grown. Hannah, her pain came from not having a son, but when God answered her prayer, she found pure joy through her sacrifice of dedicating Samuel to God.

And then there was Jesus. He knew how His followers would respond to His sacrifice before that day on Calvary ever came. He told them,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy… So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” ~John 16:20-22

Jesus knew that with sacrifice will come joy.

Each one of these sacrifices grew out of faith, generosity and obedience. Their faith in God, His ways unknown, was stronger than what they saw before them. Each recognized that what they had been given was never theirs to begin with. All they had came from God and He is the ultimate overseer. Their sacrifices were given the way God gives – generously. Finally, each one of these individuals was obedient to God’s will, whether the obedience came in faith of a future relationship, restoration or just believing God has a greater plan.

Yes, sacrifice hurts, and it can hurt deeply, but when you sacrifice the way God sacrifices, “your sorrow will turn into joy.”

Over the past weeks, we’ve studied four topics: faith, generosity, obedience and sacrifice. When you think about it, what we’ve studied is the art of letting go. With faith, we let go of what we can see and trust in the unseen, but ever-so-evident promises of God. Generosity is all about letting go of the things of this world, knowing they were never ours to begin with. Obedience is the art of letting go of control, trusting that giving up what we want in favor of what God desires leads to a much richer life. Sacrifice is the ultimate letting go. God sacrificed His Son, and with the deepest love turned His back on Him, letting Him go so that we – you and me – would no longer be seen as sinful human beings, but as beloved children of God through the sacrificial eyes of Jesus. Jesus, with all the power in the universe, sacrificed Himself for us, allowing Himself to be beaten, mutilated and killed in the most inhumane way, so that we would be with Him forever. On that one day, God let go; Jesus let go. We should let go and let God lead our lives, with arms wide open knowing there is great joy that lies ahead.