My List…God’s Design?

Good Morning, Girlfriends! Pull up a chair! Grab a cup of coffee and your list..what list, you ask? You know, YOUR LIST. It's different than mine but we each have a list. My list is long. It is a specific list. A detailed list. It’s the list, unofficially titled, “Cherrie’s plans.” Borne out of the desires of my heart, it is the list of things that I hope to see come to pass, the things I want to accomplish and the things on which I place value, quantified by how I spend my time, energy and focus. For those of you familiar with the Bible, there is an often quoted verse that says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 This is the subject of my thought, today. I want to be certain that my plans, the desires of my heart, which are many, are subject to God’s design. The first part of that familiar verse says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and...." There is an order to this promise. As I delight myself in the Lord, God will give to me the desires of my heart! God is the very Creator of my existence AND the Creator of the new spiritual life I received, when he opened my eyes and, as I believed, granted me new birth. As my Creator, shouldn’t he also have preeminence with regard to my list? Isn’t he truthworthy with the agenda of my days, considering the breath he grants to me? Let’s talk about numbers. He has numbered my days (Psalm 139:16) and knows the very number of hairs on my head (Matthew 10:30). How then would I think that I am left on my own to decide how I am to spend my days or don’t I realize that, in wisdom, I would do well to seek him, with care, to design my list? Reading through the rest of Psalm 139, it is clear that God is intimately involved and actively participates in our formation from the time of our conception. Let's think of it in a simple word picture. If I designed and formed a certain dish so that it would perfectly hold and showcase a beautifully oval shaped egg and I proceeded to try and serve a 16 oz. ribeye on it, what would the result be? It wouldn't fit! It would hang out all over the place and it certainly wouldn't make an appetizing presentation! Isn't that often what we do? We try to make our own list outside of God's design or according to what someone else thinks we should be and we wonder why we feel exhausted, frustrated and unfulfilled! Remember *God's personal design is the best "style" for me to wear! :) Isaiah 46:10 makes it clear that God's purpose will be carried out, regardless of my cooperation…BUT I don’t want to miss out! I want to lean in and realize the joy of participating in the purpose he has to reach people with the good news of redemption, specifically those whom he has placed within my sphere of influence. Today, there is a vast amount of time and attention given to “finding myself” and being “fulfilled.” I would like to suggest that there is no deep secret to be unearthed in this quest. Personal fulfillment comes in walking within God’s design for our lives and pointing others to him. If this is my focus, I will leave a perpetual legacy that continues to be shared, long after I am gone. In contrast, a self-centered, self-focused life leaves nothing of lasting value. It does leave untilled soil in the hearts of those within that circle, which another, must step into and labor for the harvest that has been left unattended, so that they might see and believe. A familiar corporate term is “knowledge sharing.” Let’s engage in LIFE sharing, girlfriends. Make each of us an instrument of your peace, according to your design, Lord Jesus! Keep climbing: Take your list….kneel with it and pray, before your Creator, who knows ALL things regarding you. Don’t be afraid – he is your Creator, Redeemer and Friend. Invite him to design, refine and shine in your list, that his purpose might be fulfilled and, in doing so, you will find fulfillment. Still Climbing,