How do you know what the Lord's will is for your life? For whatever reason, I think that His desire is for all of us to be happy. Maybe happiness comes from contentment or fulfillment and maybe it's not the smiley, contagious variety but it is always something to be shared. Maybe I'm crazy but I think He really wants only the best for us but because we live in a world full of people just like us, things change. Not that He's not able to overcome the things that get in the way, but sometimes He chooses not to. So, if we're in communion with God and we talk with Him regularly through prayer and His word, we know what we're supposed to do.
What happens when you feel He's leading you to do something and you spend lots time and energy and maybe even money planning it all out and are ready to launch into it when something else, that also seems equally lead by God, comes along that is in complete or near opposition to the original plan? Now you're in a pickle! Do you go by what you want most? Did the second thing happen to distract you from the first plan? Can you let go of the first one at least long enough to take a good look at the options? Or is it always hanging on in the back of your mind and you know that even though you want the second thing very much, you're not going to let go of your original dream. The only way the second thing can fit in to your life is to work it around the plans you've already made. Well, I guess that's the answer.
Otherwise you'd make your original plan secondary and make you're new "thing" the center of your dreams. Maybe it's not so hard to figure out after all. Or maybe your just not looking at it in the same perspective as He is. Don't forget that He can see the BIG picture and we can only see the small, little bubble of our own lives. Maybe for some reason, we needed to make the preparations but the goal we thought we were heading for is not where He wants us to end up. Or maybe I'm just being silly.
Of course if either of those things include other people, it becomes a whole new ball game. So, yeah...
Thoughts?
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2 thoughts about my meanderings:
Hmm... I think a lot of your questions are questions that can't really be answered by people -- certainly not by me!
But somewhat in line with your thoughts about happiness... I once heard someone say that we, as christians, always have a reason to be joyful. That said, we are not required by God to always be happy -- in fact, we are sometimes encouraged to weep, or mourn. But joyfulness and happiness are two different things.
And somewhat in response to your thoughts about God wanting the best for us... sort of like you said later in your post -- the best that God has planned is often very different from what we might plan. Our ideal might be a 'happy' life -- while God's perfect plan may have us dealing with lots of trials and sorrow. Either way, I think perhaps God's idea of what our best mindset should be is not 'happiness', but contentment and trust. Whether he gives us peace and plenty, or grief and sorrow, he wants us to grow, and growing might not necessarily mean becoming 'happy'.
That probably didn't answer any questions, but you did ask for thoughts, so I gave em. : )
Very interesting post, btw.
Thanks for commenting, Princess. As the title indicates, these posts are some of the meandering questions and thoughts that are roaming around in here. :)
By happy, I don't mean skipping through a field of daisies without a care in the world. Joyfulness, happiness, cheerfulness, rejoicing and contentment are pretty much synonymous or are manifestations of the same thing. So, if,as Christians, we always have a reason to be joyful, even in trials and sorrows, then happiness, and contentment go right along with it. Cheerfulness and rejoicing are the result. It's a state of mind and of the heart. It's the old "Bloom where you're planted" idea.
Who is a more effective tool for the Lord; those who are happy, or those who are sorrowful?
Sometimes folks seem to think that the feelings or emotions that surround sorrow and trials are more "holy" or "pious" than those that almost automatically spring from a state of contentment or happiness. Finding joy and happiness in those times really takes courage and a right heart.
Prov 16:20 Whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.
Prov 15:13 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: 15 He that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.
We're so blessed and have so much to be happy about but to the outsider looking in, it may not look like it. So why would they want to emulate what we have? Granted that God doesn't promise us a life of ease but He does make a lot of promises that we can hold close to our heart in order to find happiness in the midst of sorrow.
Something to ponder.
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