Peace in His plan and timing

 Hmm, contentment. How can something sound so simple yet be so hard? Next to patience I do believe contentment is one of the hardest things to learn and put into practice in life. Yet it is so necessary in the christian walk. This is something I've really struggled with this year, learning to be content with where God has me at the present moment. All my life I've dreamed of graduating high school, going off to the mission field then coming home and marrying at 19,  immediately setting out for Liberia together. The problem is that was MY plan. Not GOD'S plan for me.

   Here I am 10 years after receiving my call and I find myself in America with absolutely no exciting plans for the near future. For months I was not ok with this. I wanted so badly to get back out there, I was bored with every day life here and felt useless in my inability to hands on help those kids. Don't get me wrong, I loved being back with my family and church but I had the hardest time adjusting to the fact that God had me here for an unknown amount of time. (My poor family put up with a lot those months!)  But in the last month something in me has changed. I realized how badly I was hurting my family by my lack of joy at being here and more so, how I was hurting and even disobeying GOD by not accepting His plan.

     I look at life as a series of learning experiences, each day offers a chance to learn from and about God if I am only searching for His lessons. By doing this I have learned so much!! Most of all, I've learned true contentment in His plan and have peace at where I am in life because of this. Yes, where I am now is not what I would have chosen, but I wouldn't change this for anything! Every day here is a special gift from the Lord, one that brings numerous blessings and abounding joy! I treasure the fact that I am still living at home, that I get to go to sleep each night with one of my little sisters in bed with me, that I get to greet my Daddy at the door with a kiss on the cheek, that I still get to make meals for my family. The list goes on, and each day I'm filled with more joy and contentment. I still miss Africa and will be thrilled when He calls me back but for now, being here is a little piece of heaven on earth! I thank God that He knows better than I the plans He has for me and the outcome of this time here.

"So he will do to me whatever he has planned.  

He controls my destiny."

Job 23:14 

"For the glory of God!!"