Tag: God’s path

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Planning With God

Two macaws, one sitting inside a hollow palm tree with its head sticking out, facing away, and the other sitting on top of the stump, also facing away.
Proverbs 19:21 (NLV)—There are many plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s plan that will stand.

A pair of macaws refused to pose, both turning their heads away from the camera. The coati on the side of the road became a blur after a certain photographer relied on the auto focus when the camera was set to manual focus. The same photographer also overlooked the ISO and snapped photos of a roseate spoonbill in ISO 5000.

Each photo held the excitement of snapping the next shot to display on my house’s walls, followed by a pang of disappointment when my photo plans failed—all because I had my plans for success but forgot to take the necessary steps to make that happen.

Although we can try our best to plan for success, God directs our steps in ways we cannot. He knows where we’re going and when we’re going to arrive. He recognizes the trials we’re facing and how we can overcome them. He holds the information we need to follow his path, and he stays at our side through everything.

Best of all, he does not hold this information close to his chest like a secret. He loves us so much, he shares it with us when we ask. With this advice, we now know when to change the camera settings or how to make the blur come into focus.

Our path becomes clearer when we seek his advice through prayer. Indeed, when we share our ideas with God and ask him questions, the steps in our plan become more than plot points in our scheme—they become moments when we listen and decide to obey, moments when we choose to say yes to God.

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Laughing in the Rain

1 Peter 1:20–21 (ESV)—[Christ] was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

I can personally attest, Athenian sidewalks enjoy tripping tourists. Marble pedestrian concourses laugh as sandal-wearing tourists pitch forward. Tile sidewalks buckle for the thrill of watching visitors stub their toes. Even better, cobbled walkways dole out laughter:

The rain began while my husband and I left the jazz club to search for gelato. We stepped with care, reaching the slightest decline in elevation. My husband slipped, arms flailing, but stayed upright. I laughed, of course, and slowed my pace…only to lose my foothold and land on my butt.

Like the sidewalks of Athens, God’s path includes trials that pitch us into harmful circumstances or cause us a world of pain. Peter’s message to “elect” followers of Jesus told much the same story, with an added bonus: faith has an inexplicable power to produce laughter in the rain.

Such a foothold of faith induces rejoicing that aids us in harmful circumstances. This allows God’s abundant peace and grace to flow through us, and through these he supports us.

Indeed, our faith in him allows us to stand even when we fall on our butts. In fact, when butts hit the ground, our response of laughing in the rain cements our faith and strengthens our hope in the living God.

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Jesus Upholds: A Journey in 2023

A dirt trail with trees on both sides, turning to the right
Hebrews 1:3 (ESV)—He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

Happy New Year, Everyone! Life is a journey, for sure, and this year I embarked not only on adventures on the West Coast and in Cincinnati, St. Louis, Birmingham, and Gulf Shores but also on a path of newness toward God. Looking back at 2023, I see God’s path unwinding like a switchback up a mountain.

Not so long ago, I prided myself on my independence. I lived life with an attitude of “I can go it alone.” My tune changed with an anxiety attack, one I believe God used to gain my attention to his lessons. I learned not only self-care such as meditation and yoga but also community care from my loved ones. God’s outcomes have filled my life with happiness, and these are only a few:

I shared my experiences through devotionals published on various websites.

I reached out to my family more often and shared some of my experiences.

I made an effort to expand my community through volunteering and organizing social activities.

I learned more about myself and the fruit of the Spirit I need to apply to myself.

I began memorizing Bible verses.


With each of these events, I see the connection between the trials and the joy and Jesus upholding my life. God used my reaching out in my troubles as an invitation for another to reach out to me in their troubles. I learned God’s Word to write devotionals and blog posts and subsequently used his Word to calm myself. I treated myself with the fruit of the Spirit and feel happier despite my trials.

Although my journey sometimes feels as if I’m trudging up a steep trail and I can’t see past the trees to the next turn, I know if I stay on his path, I’m traveling toward his glory. I invite you to review your 2023 and list ways God has touched your life. May you start 2024 with your mind on his glory!