Have you ever been in a place and wondered why am I here? Have you ever had the plan you had laid out for your life change unexpectedly? What about reaching another stage in your life and wondering what now? These are some questions that have crossed my mind over the years. That different stage of life one constantly follows me around. Is it possible to get a restraining order on life stages???  In all seriousness, I’m not a big fan of things changing. I’d much prefer to have things stay the same, never change, and stick to the plan I have in my mind.

But…

God.

He has a way of providing exactly what we need at exactly the right moment. He has a way of putting us in places that we need. He has a way of providing us with others that we need.

Think back about the life of Joseph. I can almost say with certainty that his life plan didn’t go the way he had planned. I’m sure being thrown in a pit, sold into slavery, put in prison, and then being the highest ranking official in Egypt under Pharaoh wasn’t on his list. It’s not the place he had in mind, but he stayed faithful to his God and made a huge difference wherever he was.

Think back about the life of Ruth. Her story is another one that probably didn’t go the way she had planned. Ruth met and married the love of her life, probably part of her plan. After some time, before she bore a child, her husband died, she left her land, followed and helped her mother in law, gleaned in the fields, caught the eye of another fellow, eventually married him and bore a son who would be the grandfather of King David, all probably not part of her plan. Yet, wherever this life took her, she was faithful, hardworking, and made a huge difference where she was.

Think back about the life of Esther. She was a lovely and beautiful young maiden, who was being raised by her cousin because her parents have died. This circumstance changed the course of her life. She was taken to the king’s palace with other young maidens because he was looking for a new queen. Her devotion to her people and her God provided her with the opportunity to prevail over wicked Haman when she could have easily decided to hide behind her crown. Esther, being a Jew, would have never planned on being a queen, yet this is where her life took her and though a course of events, she was able to save her people. What a difference she made where she was!

We can look throughout scriptures and find many more lives that have made a difference where they were these are just a drop in the bucket. What about our lives? Are we striving every day to make a difference, for the better, in God’s kingdom? Are we using the circumstances that we find ourselves in to be that shining light and bringing glory to our God? Our lives may not go the way we planned or end up where we think we ought to be, but God always has the best plan, the best place, and the best people in mind for our lives, just as long as we are faithfully following Him and never give up on His plan.

By: Kristina Odom