This week as I drove through a town I once called home I found myself wondering, “What would my life have been like had we not moved from here when I was six years old?” On my mom’s side of the family, I have a slew of family (my grandmother is one of 10 children, and they each had many children so when I say a slew I mean A LOT) spread over 90 miles of the area. As an only child, I often wonder what it would have felt like to grow up surrounded by so much extended family.
Would I have turned out the same?
Would I have made the same choices?
Who would I have married?
Would it have been a safe, happy marriage?
What would I be doing with my life?
Do you ever wonder “What if?”
I look at the familiar roads, houses, and pine trees that seem to stand out as prominent memories of living here. Even though I was young I still know where we lived, where we went to church, and where I went to school. I can vividly describe them, I can vividly see them in my mind. After a trip down memory lane and asking all the "what if" questions, I am reminded of the story God built in my life.
Was it beautiful? SOMETIMES
Was it always easy? ABSOLUTELY NOT
Did I always make the right choice? NO
Jeremiah 29:11 resonates in my heart, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” I think about all the friendships, experiences, and lessons that may have been.
Would I have created lifelong friendships?
Would my life have taken a different course?
Then Proverbs 16:9 reminds me, “The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” Our lives are not a series of coincidental happenstances instead the Lord’s purpose prevails.
As someone who loves Jesus and finds my strength in Him, I know my true home is with Him. No matter where I find myself, my journey remains in the love and wisdom that comes from Him.
Psalm 139:16 says, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” God has no “ifs”, and no alternatives beyond Him.
God’s plans are greater than any “ifs” I could come up with or write myself. This brings me peace, knowing I am exactly where I am meant to be. The journey was hard but He never promised it would be easy. But I am grateful for every turn that led me to Him.
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