Tag Archives: Plans

Broken ~ Day 2 ~ Write 28 Days

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Singing My Way Through Write 28 Days
Day 2: Broken

“O LORD my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.” Psalm 40:5 (NLT)

Broken Road

“This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.”
Rascal Flatts

Have you ever thought about all the unfulfilled dreams, incomplete plans, prayers that weren’t answered as you wanted, twists, turns, and detours it has taken to get you to exactly where you are today? 

Many of you know the “broken road” that led me to West Virginia. What you might not know, are the heartaches I experienced as part of the journey. Teaching jobs after teaching jobs were given to someone else and it left me feeling inadequate and like a failure. Loneliness set in as my friends one by one moved on in their lives while I was stuck where I was without them. (No cell phones back then) And maybe the most difficult for me was the realization that the man I hoped and prayed for wasn’t to be found so marriage and a family probably weren’t in the cards for me. I felt lost. But God knew right where I was and where I was going.

I had lost MY way, but soon found that step by step, I was traveling the route GOD was navigating:

~The “unexpected” introduction to a West Virginian visiting Michigan resulted in,
~An “out-of-the-blue” last minute phone call offering me a position for the job I longed to do,
~I had “just enough” money for my plane fare to a place I’d never even heard of, then
~The “last minute” change in plans effecting my lodging lead to,
~”A spur of the moment” offer of hospitality from a fellow teacher I didn’t know,
~Who “just so happened” to introduce me to her single farmer son and the rest my friends, is history. Coincidence? I think not! 

In the span of little over a week, I had the job I’d hoped for, met colleagues I knew would become friends, found respite for my homesickness in the familiarity of a farm house, AND met my future mother-in-love and husband. It was “all part of a grander plan” that was coming true. I just didn’t know it at the time.

“We can make our plans, but the LORD determines out steps.”
Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)

I know you’ll find this hard to believe but I like to control things, for life to go as I want it to. And in the midst of all the discouragement and doubt, I couldn’t see that something much better was coming. Even now, knowing what I know from this experience and others, when faced with disappointment and pain, I still find myself vying for control, whining about where I am instead of trusting that God has a better path marked out. You too?

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

When God spoke these words so long ago, I think he was saying them to us, too. They are a promise to hold on to when everywhere we turn seems to be a dead end; a reminder that though to us the road may seem broken, He sees the completed Way, the One that leads us straight to Him, our future and our hope.

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Belong ~ Day 6 ~ 31 Day of Five Minute Free Writes

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This post is part of the October 2018 Edition of 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes. I hope you”ll join me in seeing where each prompt takes us.
 P.S. Just so you know, I’m finding it difficult to stick to five minutes (**) and it may take me longer than the 31 days to finish all the prompts. Not easy for this rule follower!
You can read more 31 Days entries at http://www.fiveminutefriday.com 

Do You Know Where You Belong?

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21 (NIV) This photo was taken from Spruce Knob, the highest point in WV. I live in the valley below.

Do you know where you belong?  I was sure for me, it was teaching in the suburbs, living on a quiet street close to stores, restaurants, and theaters. Exactly where I was used to living. Continue reading →

Adapt ~ Five Minute Friday

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I was looking through old photos this week and when I learned that the Five Minute Friday prompt was “Adapt”, I thought this picture was perfect!  This is my first school picture as a teacher circa. 1982. Oh the hair!!! Keep reading to see how I’ve had to adapt and if you want to read more, hop on over to http://www.fiveminutefriday.com 

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

Time starts now…..

Teaching was my dream but when I arrived in rural West Virginia for my first job, where there was no stop light, no fast food, and no one I knew; I planned to teach for one year and then move on to a bigger and better place.  Little did I know back then, that God had other plans.  36 years later, I’m here to tell you that this naive city girl had a lot to adapt to in her new life! A life I hadn’t planned on. A life I wasn’t really prepared for!

Isn’t that just the way of life though?  We’re moving along with a dream and a plan in our heart and then…..SURPRISE! God has different ideas (and a sense of humor!).  If anyone had told “young me” that I’d live a life in the country where I would know the breed of a cow by looking at her (or would even know it was a her), would come to find the smell of manure familiar and not unpleasant, or eat eggs, meat, and vegetables that didn’t come from a store but rather from hard work, I’d have told them they were crazy! And yet, Here. I. Am.

God brought me and left me here because He knew this IS my “bigger and better” place! I always say that I’ve learned much more than I’ve ever taught . It wasn’t always easy, (I’m sure I whined more than a little to God) but I can’t imagine living any where else now.  I’ve found love, kindness, beauty, and yes, purpose…..my life is a living testimony that God’s purpose DOES prevail!  And oh! Guess what?  I now have to adapt to city life when I go home for a visit. I’m truly a country gal at heart and blessed beyond measure that God exchanged my plans for His!