Friday, December 23, 2005

Finding a New Destination along the Way

If you are like me, you often end up at a different destination than you were looking to find when you started a journey toward something.

I entered college thinking I would be a teacher, like my mother. Only I wanted to do secondary education and teach history. I ended up as minister.

It seems we all change our flight plans in life. And often times, the circumstance God uses to get us going somewhere are not what we expect when we get there. We think we are landing in one place, and we end up going in a totally different direction as we move forward and listen to God's leaning.

My freshman year, we moved up to Alaska. Mom thought she had a job lined up. It fell through as soon as we got there. We were living with my aunt and uncle and their family. Not a pleasant experience. Those circumstances pushed us in a new direction where we moved an hour and a half away from my aunt and uncle. Mom was a teacher's assistant that first year. What a blessing though! I could not have imagined living anywhere but HOMER, ALASKA for my high school years. And if we would have gotten comfortable where my aunt and uncle lived....well....I would have been miserable.

I have seen this in projects I was involved in. I expected them to be one way, and as I went we discovered that they look totally different than what I expected.

We start out with a vision and a plan. The Lord directs our steps. And, we end up in a totally different place than we ever expected. Praise God.

Does any of this make any sense? Have any of you had experiences like this.

4 comments:

Fahd Mirza said...

Well I never would have imagined what I am right now. I am a computer professional as well as a computer teacher. Some years back, it was even hard for me to even carry on my studies. Before that I wasnt much interested in studies.

Its the game of destiny tightly coupled with one's will.

:| raven |: said...

..:: Merry Christmas ::..

&

..:: Happy New Year ::..


xoxo

~Raven

San Nakji said...

when I was at kindergarten i wanted to be a fireman. then at school i got interested in dinosaurs and so wanted to be a paleantologist. i was then told there were no dinosaurs in NZ (i have since found out that there were...) and so decided to be an archaeologist. when i got to highschool or as we call it, college, i decided i wanted to be a interpreter for the UN. Now i find myself in a completely different job altogether. i never thought it would turn out like this. my job is ok, but i would love to do other things. the trouble is that they don't pay what i get at the moment...

did this have anything to do with your post? anyway, merry christmas!

rubyslipperlady said...

I often find myself driving around the Citites with a friend and say, "Hey, I've been here before. Where are we?" I never inteded to be at that locale, but my sense of direction is a bit off.

I like this post. It's good to look back and have that 20/20 vision and see how God puts us where and when we need us to prepare us for His plan, if we choose to follow it.

I used to be a feminazi but have softened, I used to want to be an astronaut, the first woman US Pres, the first woman MLB catcher (what was I thinking with this one?!), a preacher with a minor in business (ick on the business part), etc. God leads us down different paths, I believe, to show us what else is out there, what could've been or what we can strive for ahead.

We just need to never quit traveling or be afraid of taking a wrong turn.

Book Review of Little Prayers for Ordinary Days by Katy Bowser Hutson, Flo Paris Oaks, and Tish Harrison Warren and illustrated by Liita Forsyth

Little Prayers for Ordinary Days by Katie Bowser Hutson, Flo Paris Oakes, and Tish Harrison Warren IVP Kids ISBN 978-1-5140-0039-8 Reviewed ...