I’ve recently discovered that I have a bad habit…well, I have a lot of bad habits, but I’ve become more aware of one in particular:
I’m a planner.
I like to know exactly what is going to happen months in advance. It’s not bad to have a plan, but I often get so caught up in planning and preparing for the future, that I fail to live in the present. A friend of mine kindly reminded me of this a few days ago, and I’m so glad he did! We were talking, and somehow the topic of Canada came up. (For those of you who don’t know, I absolutely LOVE Canada! God has given me such a heart for that country, and I can’t wait to go back in December on the mission trip to Toronto!!) I am a very excitable, enthusiastic person, so I find it very easy to get caught up in my excitement about Canada. But that doesn’t mean that my time in America is insignificant! In my conversation the other day, my friend gently told me, “God put you in the US for a reason.” He is so right! It isn’t a bad thing for me to love Canada and long to share the Gospel with the people there; but that doesn’t mean that my time in America is completely insignificant. One of Satan’s greatest victories is getting us to focus so much on the future that we completely waste the present. Right now, God hasn’t placed me in Canada. He has placed me at CNU. God has a plan for where I live, where I work, where I go to school, what classes I take- He knows every individual that I will interact with. He has a divine plan for it all! No one knows His ways. But it would be such a tragedy for me to neglect the people God wants me to be interacting with here and now simply because I am so busy focusing on the future. God is in control, and He will work all things out for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). I have no idea what God has planned for my life in the upcoming years, or even for the next few days…but one thing is certain- He does have a plan. God isn’t a God of accidents and coincidences; He is completely in control. He is omniscient and omnipresent, and He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). He is not caught off guard. He has brought me to where I am today for a certain purpose and certain plan. It reminds me of a verse we went over a few weeks ago at community group: “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14, ESV). God hasn’t placed you where you are today on accident. I really encourage you (and challenge myself) to live more intentionally with today, and to be present in the present.
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” -Matthew 6:34
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