Verse a Day ~ 2

i almost forgot to post a verse today!  Another favorite verse of mine is Jeremiah 29:11:

For I know the plans that I have for you,

declares the Lord,

plans for welfare and not for calamity

to give you a future and a hope.

(NASB)

      This verse is so comforting to me.  It reminds me that i don't have to worry about the future ~ God has already done all of the planning for me.  His plans are always good even if i can't see it at the moment.  

     The main way that i have for understanding God and His ways is as a parent.  i have raised 4 children, each of them very different from the others and i have learned many things through the process.  One size does not fit all!  Each human being is  unique.    God treats each of us differently.  He does not give each person the same trials or the same blessings.  In raising my children, sometimes i had to be stern or strict with them to teach them valuable lessons.  It did not mean that i did not love them; quite the contrary.  It showed that i loved them immensely!  If i didn't love them i wouldn't have cared what they did or what happened to them, but since i did care so much i did everything i could to teach them to be honest and respectful, gentle and kind, responsible and productive, etc.  Sometimes, though, the lessons were hard and there were tears and maybe loss.  Sometimes, the child had to be disciplined in ways that were extremely unpleasant to them.  They might even say or think that i didn't love them, but as they matured they could see the reason behind  my actions.

     i think God works in much the same way.  He delights in giving us the things that make us happy but sometimes He knows that certain things would not be good for us so He says, No.  At other times, He knows that now is not the right time so he says, Wait.  He may need to discipline us in ways that we find harsh and in our confused, childish mind, we may become angry with Him, but He always operates from a heart of love.  

     His plans are always for our welfare, even when we can't see it.  Just like the wise parent who can see down the road that the child's bad behavior will lead them to heartache someday and so will train and discipline them, God lovingly guides us along through the joys and difficulties of our lives. 

     In Him we have a future and a hope.  To me this is where faith comes in.  If we could always see the way ahead, or know the reason for things, we would not need faith.  Faith is trusting that His plan is loving and that in Him we do have a future and a hope.