HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU FOUND YOURSELF IN SITUATIONS OR PREDICAMENTS IN YOUR LIFE AND YOU LOOK AROUND AND YOU SAY, "LORD, WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON? ! " YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING AND TO THE PHYSICAL EYE, IT LOOKS LIKE CHAOS, CHAOS, CHAOS EVERYWHERE!
SOMETIMES CERTAIN THINGS, UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES, WOULD BE CONSIDERED CRAZY AND MAKE ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE. SOMETHING LIKE GETTING IN AN ACCIDENT, FAILING AN EXAM, BEING ASSIGNED A MAJOR PROJECT THAT YOU'RE TERRIFIED OF LEADING. THE REALITY IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE ULTIMATE ANSWERS.
WE DON'T KNOW WHY THE LORD ALLOWS US TO EXPERIENCE CERTAIN THINGS BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S IN STORE FOR US DOWN THE ROAD. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? GOD DOES.
AND HONESTLY, THAT'S THE ONLY THING THAT REALLY MATTERS. OUR JOB ISN'T TO FIGURE OUT HIS PLAN FOR OUR LIVES. OUR JOB IS TO WALK THE PATH THAT HE'S LAID OUT FOR US.
LET'S TAKE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE ULTIMATE COUPLE: MARY AND JOSEPH. IN LUKE 2:5 IT SAYS, "HE WENT THERE TO REGISTER WITH MARY, "WHO WAS PLEDGED TO BE MARRIED TO HIM "AND WAS EXPECTING A CHILD. WHILE THEY WERE THERE, "THE TIME CAME FOR THE BABY TO BE BORN, "AND SHE GAVE BIRTH TO HER FIRSTBORN, A SON.
"SHE WRAPPED HIM IN CLOTHES AND PLACED HIM IN THE MANGER, "BECAUSE THERE WAS NO GUEST ROOM AVAILABLE FOR THEM. " MARY WAS A PREGNANT VIRGIN, CARRYING BABY JESUS, THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD, AND EVENTUALLY HAD TO GIVE BIRTH TO HIM IN A MANGER AMONGST FARM ANIMALS. YOU KNOW, IF YOU ASK ME, THAT SOUNDS PRETTY WILD.
THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD BORN IN A MANGER. THAT MAKES NO SENSE. BUT GOD KNEW THE END RESULTS.
HE KNEW THAT ONE DAY, THIS BEAUTIFUL, SMALL LITTLE BABY BOY WOULD ONE DAY GROW UP TO DO GREAT THINGS, AND EVENTUALLY PAY THE PRICE FOR THE SINS OF THE WORLD. THINK ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF MARY SAID NO, IF SHE AND JOSEPH JUST DECIDED, "YOU KNOW WHAT, THIS IS TOO MUCH FOR ME. "I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON, SO I'M OUT.
" WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HAVE THE ACCESS TO OUR SAVIOR THAT WE HAVE TODAY. LISTEN, I GET IT. GOD'S PLAN FOR OUR LIVES CAN SOMETIMES PUT US IN THE MOST AWKWARD POSITIONS.
WE CAN EVEN FIND OURSELVES IN THE DARKEST OF PLACES, LEFT WITH THIS FEELING IN OUR SOUL THAT GOD DOESN'T SEE US AND HE REALLY DOESN'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. I AM HERE TO ENCOURAGE YOU TODAY AND TELL YOU THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY, AS UNUSUAL AS IT MIGHT BE OR FEEL, THE TRUTH IS, IF WE FOLLOW THE PATH THAT GOD HAS LAID OUT FOR US, WE WILL ALWAYS BE ACCURATE IN OUR POSITION. TODAY, I WANT YOU TO REFLECT ON THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU IN THE PAST THAT WERE LIFE-CHANGING, BUT ALSO THE CATALYST FOR SOMETHING GREATER TO HAPPEN IN YOUR LIFE.
THIS COULD BE YOUR STORY RIGHT NOW. GIVE GOD PRAISE FOR WHAT HE DID AND WHAT HE'S GOING TO DO. AND REMEMBER, DON'T ALWAYS DISCOUNT THE UNCOMFORTABILITY OF YOUR JOURNEY.
EMBRACE AND WELCOME IT. INSTEAD OF RUNNING FROM THOSE MOMENTS, SEEK GOD AND ASK HIM TO GIVE YOU STRENGTH TO WALK IT OUT COMPLETELY. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
