For This is the Will of God

I don’t really know why, but for as long as I can remember, I have always thought a lot about the will of God for my life. I’m guessing a reason for this is because I have always been a people-pleaser. If I respect you, I care deeply about what you think. So, I’ve spent a lot of my life trying not to mess up. 

This caused me to not do a lot in my younger years because I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how not to mess up. So, I did nothing. This caused my parents some grief, but I eventually figured myself out. Through it all, I have come up with a formula to help me and other to figure out their lives. Yes, I am going to share it with you now. 

So, start with all good things. If something is good, it is on the table. If you don’t know what is good, read your bible and pray. Talk to wise people. Read good old books. You’ll figure that out eventually. From there, pick the things that you like and are good at. After that, walk the path that God has in front of you. I’ll give you two examples from my own life to help explain myself. 

Turns out, I’m pretty good at reading. I’ve got a real gift with it. I also don’t like to be in debt. With college, I told myself that I wouldn’t go in debt for it. So, I found a college that fit my love of reading, found I could fund myself and family through it, and away I went. I did 8 years of schooling in 3. Each step of the way, God opened doors for me to go through by finding colleges, finding funds, and giving me my ability. There was plenty of uncertainty along the way, but God kept the doors open for me the whole time.

On the flip side, Becca and I have been wanting to move on to property for almost 2 years now. We wanted to raise our family in a particular way by being closer to where our food comes from. We like animals. We think we could start a side business with it. We were doing all kinds of research, finding property, figuring out how to put a house on it. Planning on living in a tent during construction. All kinds of crazy things. We had desires for some pretty good things for our family and community. We also knew that it would only work if God blessed it. All the details really would have to work out. We found out this weekend that God is firmly closing the door on this adventure for us. At least for the foreseeable future. So, we are looking at other things and ways for us to raise our family and help our community. 

I firmly believe that this is how the will of God works. God gives us desires and skills, and our job is to figure out how to use them by following the path that God has placed before us. Sometimes, it follows the paths that we have set. Other times, God has a secret path in the shadows for us to follow. If we trust in Him though, we can know that this is the will of God. 

So for us, it is further up and further in, even if we aren’t quite sure where the next step is going to land.