Pr. 19:21: “There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the Lord’s counsel–that will stand.”
I have had tendonitis in my toe since the beginning of July, but for the last 19 days I’ve been walking around in a “boot” from the podiatrist. So, now my secret is out. Everyone who notices it asks what happened. My answer: I tried to jog. LOL! Funny and sad, but true.
Almost 3 years ago I had a lot of plans. Exercise was my hobby and I loved trying and learning new things. The more hard-core, the better. I had big plans for my body fat. I had a plan and was training for a race I couldn’t wait to enter, and was looking for others. I had plans for a few 5K’s with my work out buddy. And then, one day it all changed.
No doctor has ever figured out what happened, but my body broke down and I could no longer exercise. It eventually got to the point where I could barely walk. Almost 3 years later, I am much stronger and very functional, and yet here I sit in a boot because I have stubbornly tried to exercise yet again.
Today I found a note in my Bible that is interesting to me. I was reading Matthew 6 and in the middle of the “Do not worry” section I see that I have written, “Grow my faith, Lord. I trust in You.”
Over the last few months I have realized that it’s time to stop. I have come to understand that with all the plans I’d made for myself, it’s clear that my plans were not the same as the Lord’s. I am reminded that His thoughts are not my thoughts, and His way are not my ways. So what if I can’t exercise? It is very clear that’s not what God needs from me.
What do I really want from the Lord? Was it really so critical that I met my body fat goal? Was that race the most important plan in my life? Sure, if I could do those things now, He’d receive glory, but He should be receiving the glory regardless. He is God.
How about me asking Him to grow my faith? It is clear that to God, that plan was the most important of all the ones I had. It coincided with His own plan for my life. Even though my faith wavered for a moment during the last couple of years, I continued looking to Him and I have grown closer to the Lord than ever before—because of this trial.
Being humbled physically has helped me to humble myself spiritually and to submit my entire life to Him. Truly I trust in Him in a way I never did before.
My body is the definition of weak, and in this weak state in which I now live, my God’s strength is evident in my life. Indeed, He is mighty and His plans are perfect! It is plain to see that His thoughts are of much better things than my own. I know clearly that His ways are much more pure, productive, and beneficial than mine.
I am grateful for the opportunity to see God’s plans becoming completed in my life. In my trust, I asked Him to grow my faith, and truly my faith has grown exponentially. How amazing to see that prayer answered!
What will stand when Jesus returns is all that matters. His thoughts and His ways are working perfectly together to get us to that place. If we can but trust in His sovereignty and His provision, we will grow in ways we never thought possible.
Weak in body, but stronger than ever in Him,
jamie
considering the word 