So, I married a man whose nickname is, “Mr. Nice Guy.” His other nicknames include, “Golden Boy” and “Goldie”. Early in our relationship, I actually hated it because I do not have the story to have ended up with “Mr. Nice Guy.” He’s the kind of person who eats broccoli for fun and his favorite books are on how to be a better leader. What made it worse for me was that we had known each other and been friends for a few years before we started dating, meaning he knew me when I was still growing as a Christian. It was hard for me to reconcile that we knew each other when I was wildin’, at a time when I knew that I was settling for less than what God had for me. Looking back, I used to have regrets thinking that I could’ve been so much happier so much earlier. But, the reality of the situation is that God factored my stupidity into His plan for my life. He factors in our stubbornness, our pride, our attempts at control. He factors in pain we didn’t see coming and tragedy we never could have prepared for. While regret, frustration, and bitterness can seem so much easier they are just masks for a lack of trust in God.
Colossians 3:1-2 states, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
The reality of the situation is that God factored my stupidity into His plan for my life.
Setting our hearts and minds on the things above is much easier said than done, because we are fickle people who get frustrated by the fact that we can’t actually see what’s above. I’ve been seeing commercials for new websites that allow you to buy a car entirely online; I wouldn’t buy a swimsuit online let alone a car. Apparently, people agree with me because according to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 10% of cars purchased in 2020 were bought online. I would say that’s because we don’t like to trust what we don’t see. While we can’t necessarily see what’s above, we rarely even look in that direction.
To shift our perspective, first start trying to believe what you read when you read the Bible. It can be easy to know scripture and become so familiar that you’re no longer in awe of who God really is and what He really does. In turn, we forget that He is ultimately worthy of the trust and control that is so hard for us to relinquish. I would also suggest being a little relieved that God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
He factored in the fact that we might be distracted by earthly things and I don’t know about you, but I am so glad that God knows me as well as He does and that He factored that into His plan for my life. I’ve just realized I’ve been using the past tense, but God continues to do this and will continue to do this in our jobs, our children, our marriages, and our health every day of our lives.
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