Goals and desires open handed

Today Pastor Billy spoke about his son who is in the Army. His son was top of his class academically and physically winning awards and honors for how well he did in the Army. His goal for the last 4-5 years has been to be Airborne/Army Ranger. Today or yesterday he called his father after a week or two of the training, and told him that he pulled a hamstring doing PT and was out. He has won awards for doing PT, it was a walk in the park for him. God was clearly telling this young man that now is not the time to be doing Ranger training.

Whenever God does these things in our lives, it is extremely disappointing. It hurts when we think we have the will of God in our plans and lives, and God reveals a new track for us to follow that is contrary to what we want to do.

He reminded us, to hold your life with an open hand. To let God have complete control so that when he changes something we are doing, we are not so devastated, but rather declare so be it, to God be the Glory.

This hit me when he was speaking, as I have recently let my heart go away with my desires and my emotions. Now it is time to reign them in and give God more complete control of my life. It is not that I was going out of God's plan with my desires and heart, it is more that I want to be more consciously giving God my life and plans. I have an idea what he wants from me, and nothing more. I tend to fill in all the gaps with thoughts and speculations and desires.

Yes I want to become a public school teacher, marry a girl as awesome as the one I am reacquainting myself with, and be able to support and have a family. That is indeed my goal and my desire, but I know that God has a way of changing things, and when that happens I want to be able to obey without question.

My life is not my own, I am bought with a price. This life is so brief, we are not guaranteed anything but our eternal salvation. (This is not an exclusive statement, follow the context and you will be ok mark) Eternity has already begun, and as a Christian this is the hard part of it, when death or Christ comes, then all this stress will be gone and I will be with my savior for all time, Hallelujah!