I am a reader. I have always loved the way books feel and how they smell. I am one of those nerdy type of readers that can shut the world out when I am reading, everything just stops. I want to read the entire book in one sitting just so I can see how it ends. Anyone else? I love reading all sorts of books; fiction, biographies, historical accounts, you name it. If you were to pull my library card history from my recent visit, you would find a rather unusual collection.
- Nemesis: a Miss Marple mystery / Agatha Christie.
- Disobeying Hitler: German resistance after Valkyrie / Randall Hansen.
- Magna Carta: the birth of liberty / Dan Jones.
- Bombing Hitler: the story of the man who almost assassinated the Fuhrer / Hellmut G. Haasis; translated by William Odom.
- Life and death in the Third Reich / Peter Fritzsche.
- Podcasting / by Tee Morris and Chuck Tomasi; foreword by Mignon Fogarty.
I know, it’s a weird assortment of books. I love history and mystery, and we want to get better at podcasting. This is a shameless plug for our CampTown Hall podcast. You should check it out!
When you read, if you don’t like where the story is going you can skip ahead a few pages and see what happens next. Don’t hate me. If I like how it ends, then I know I will like getting there and can handle the plot twists. I become a cheerleader for the characters; you can do it, keep going, don’t quit now, the ending is so worth it. I cheer for them because I know how it all ends, and I know it all works out.
I recently started a new chapter in my own story. I made a career shift into a brand new adventure with new plot twists. It feels a bit like the great adventure story where the hero starts on a big quest. What will happen next? Will there be a victory? What if something terrible happens? I struggle a bit with this. Maybe it is because I can’t skip ahead and see where it is going? It brings me to an important question.
Can I trust God with my future?
It feels like a silly thought because I have a personal relationship with the author of my story. As Christians, we have a God who loves us and is cheering us on. He knows how the story ends and is encouraging to keep going. However, we still struggle. Why is that? Do we think Jane Austen had a better plan for Elizabeth Bennett than God does for us? Do we think we don’t deserve to be the main character of our story; that we should be one of the minor characters who only appear once or twice? Why is trusting God so hard?
Have you ever experienced a bump or a twist in your story? A time when it didn’t go as planned? Me too. It is in those moments that our faith can be challenged and our trust in God shaken. Questions can zoom in and out of our thoughts. Did I walk away from God’s plan? Is this bigger than what God can fix? Did God forget about me? Oh, how the enemy would love us question God’s love and faithfulness and buy into the lies. We can get caught up in how we feel about a situation or a plot twist that we forget what is true. The truth is God is good and he loves us. God is a good author and is setting up our story for the next exciting part.
We aren’t sidelined, we are being realigned.
I admit that I would love to have an email or text message from the Lord, “keep going, this is what happens next….” Wouldn’t you? But that would take all the fun out of living. We, just like fictional characters, will make mistakes, we say the wrong thing and go the wrong way. And just like any writer, God will gently and lovingly guide us back to where we need to be. He will create moments and scenes that are better than we can imagine. I can’t skip ahead, I don’t know what the new chapter will bring me, but I do know this about my story and yours.
- God loves us.
- Romans 8:38 (NLT) “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.”
- God is for us.
- Romans 8:31 (TPT) “If God has determined to stand with us, tell me, who then could ever stand against us?”
- God has a plan for us.
- Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT) “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
- God is with us.
- Joshua 1:9 (NLT) “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord, your God is with you wherever you go.”
Maybe you find yourself at a crossroads today, unsure of what to do next. Trust God with your story, no matter how many plot twists and turns you have. Allow those points to be reminders of God’s goodness. Write them down and repeat them when the struggles come. Allow God and his word to encourage you and cheer you on. God can be trusted with our lives, our dreams, and our futures. One of my favorite verses is Ephesians 3:20 (MSG) “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.”
God can do anything. He is not limited. God can do more in our lives and with our futures than we ever thought possible. Plot twists will happen but it’s not the ending, just the beginning of a new chapter in our story. Don’t quit trusting! You can do it!
Are you walking out a plot twist? I would love to be able to pray for you and to encourage you in this season. Leave me a comment or message below.
Thanks for spending time with me!
Kim