What’s the Plan?
It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted anything. Part of that is my schedule and part of it is because most of what I’d been writing was inspired by conversations and emails to a friend as encouragement for a tough time – and I just didn’t know where to go with it anymore. It seems like sometimes no matter how much faith we have or believe things will get better if we “do the right thing” – crap just happens and things go from bad to worse. What are we supposed to tell people then? When things are crumbling and the pieces just keep falling, how does one avoid losing faith in a Creator who, we’ve been told, has a plan for our lives and that we’re to be successful?
With so many people telling us there is a purpose and a plan for each life, how do we keep from feeling lost and floundering when we are middle-aged and don’t have a clue what we’re supposed to do with life? I saw a movie earlier this year, The Adjustment Bureau, which also speaks to the existence of a grand plan for each life and the “adjustments” that are made to put us back on course when we’ve stepped off the path. If I truly believe there is a plan for my life, how do I reconcile not having a clue as to the purpose or path? How do I “live on purpose” rather than just “exist”?
I’m not saying I don’t enjoy life, because I do. And I try to live in the moment rather than questioning either the future or the past. I just feel like there is more to life, but don’t have a clue what it is or why I feel that way. When so much of our time today is bound to a job which often barely covers expenses, what is left? We’re a society that doesn’t remember how to truly relax – our schedules are full and we are constantly on-the-go. Do we even take the time to “stop and smell the roses” or cherish the sunrise or sunset or a call/visit with friends or family? I often find myself in a special moment and yet I’m not really LIVING it as I’m dreading that it will end and “tomorrow will be just another day”.
I read and watched Eat, Pray, Love recently … and so much of it spoke to my heart. I want to live for the moment I’m in and yet our fast-paced society defies this notion. How do we get it back? I’m tired of hearing that I have a purpose in life and need to know what it is in order to fulfill it. It’s been confusing me rather than allowing me to “just live my life”. I spent so much time struggling to figure out a purpose that still escapes me that I missed a lot of what was going on around me. I’m darn good at my job and a whole lot of other things, and yet I spent years trying to figure out how to put my talents to use for some grand plan that I don’t feel was ever revealed. I’m a good mom, daughter, spouse, and friend. Isn’t that enough?!?!?! God, our Creator, cannot fulfill MY destiny without me. It’s time to live each day as it comes and let Him show me how and when to apply my talents to benefit the lives of those around me. Maybe my purpose is simply to understand people who have never been understood before and be the encouragement they need to reach their fullest potential.
