Power Struggle

So often we feel as if we know best, especially when it comes to our own lives. If you are anything like me you love to have an active plan, something to work towards and check off your list. This has specifically become evident in my life over the last year and a half. For about the last 18 months I have been trying to secure internships to complete my degrees at Lincoln. Each time I would dream of a place and begin making plans it seems like something fell through. I worked hard on finding a place to do these internships but despite my hard work, I was left with uncertainty and stress. I cannot begin to comprehend all that went into these situational collapses. Here is the list of places I thought I would have ended up or could have easily landed for my internships. A camp in Southern California; 3 different churches in Las Vegas and one of those churches I had two different opportunities so a total of 4 there; Dallas, Texas; Indianapolis, Indiana; two different churches in Bloomington, IL; and one church in Lincoln, IL. I put a lot of time and energy into these plans of mine. Over time in my life I have found that God lets me make plans and ideas for my life and then simply nudges me out of the way and shows me what he has in store. I never would have guessed I would do one internship in Mt. Vernon and the other one in Marion. My internship at UMCH in Mt. Vernon was everything I needed it to be. I have been in Marion for 4 1/2 weeks and already sense this is a place God has placed me in. I am not far from my family, see my local friends often and am surrounded by incredible coworkers who support me every day. God did not do any of this on my timing, I would have liked to have it all secured a long time ago. Instead he showed me that he is the one in control, not me. He has to remind me of that more than I'd like but each time I step back and begin to thank him for the incredible work he does and how he takes care of me.

If you are like me and struggle to give over control of your life plans, trust me that God's plans are far better than anything we can dream up. I thought I would be in the bright lights of Las Vegas or Dallas and be having the time of my life but instead I am in Marion and growing in just the way I need to. Although it may be scary to give up what we think is best for us, God will always have our best interest in mind and place where we should be if we just let him.