Path to the Plan

Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

For all of us who have ever spit out the words, “Lord, just tell me what to do and I’ll do it!”, this post is for you.  As usual, I was wrestling with this question and overcomplicating the answer.  He let me  continue to wrestle with it for a few more weeks and then on a random Saturday, I attended a conference I wasn’t really all that excited about going to and right in the middle of it, I got a very simple answer to what I thought was a genius level complicated question.

The man presenting the class said the path to discovering God’s  will for our life was found in First Thessalonians.  He said it involved three things and then he pointed to the verse you see at the top of this page.  I’ve been thinking and praying about it for a few weeks and here’s what I think.

Rejoice always…I’ve discovered rejoicing has very little to do with my personal comfort and satisfaction.  I’m reminded of Pope John Paul II’s words, “I’m gonna act like I wished I felt!”  When I realize every situation and  circumstance is an opportunity to grow in holiness or grow in selfishness, I need to pick the first one.  God is with me at every turn; even the wrong ones and he will never abandon me if I call on his help and I can’t think of a greater reason to rejoice.  I’m trying to change my “Seriously God!” to “God, not sure what we’re doin here but I’m happy because you’re doin it with me!”  Rejoicing is also noticing and praising him for all the great things in a day; giving credit where credit is due.  “God it’s so great that you…” is a phrase I think and say a hundred times a day.  “God it’s so great that you kept that crazy driver from taking off my front fender. or God it’s so great that you created the pinks of the morning sky, the yellow of my favorite mum and the orange of those pumpkins.”  I call it out when things fall in place, when things go the right way and when they don’t.  Noticing him and rejoicing for ALL of it puts HIM first in my mind instead of myself.

Pray constantly…all things are prayer when we invite him in.  Before our feet hit the floor our first words should be, “Lord thanks for new day, please be the boss of it!”  Every situation is an opportunity for prayer.  “Lord, be with me as I make this phone call. or Lord please take charge of my work today or Lord, please meet me in the laundry and bless all those who will wear these clothes I’m going to wash and fold.”  The more we invite, the more we can turn all of the parts of our day into constant prayer.  He will walk through any task with us if we invite him through a simple prayer.  He wants to join us in the exciting, the boring, the terrific and the yucky.  Truth is, he makes all of it better and if we truly ask him in throughout the day it changes the things we get into.  If I invite him in to my evening office time I’m much more likely to be productive rather than get lost on Pinterest or Facebook.

Give thanks in all circumstances…All of them? Yup…all of them!  When we give thanks for all things, even the ones we really don’t like, great things can happen.  First, if it’s a really lousy situation we’re thanking him for, that gives us a chance to offer that suffering and that is always a powerful thing.  Second, it makes us mindful of his power and grace.  I have a lot of trouble with my knees and every time I walk and it hurts, I say “Thank you for this pain, please take this teeny suffering and do something good for a soul in need.”  I know he will, and it makes things much easier.  My mom told me to never waste my suffering and that suffering was the closest path to Jesus’ heart.  Giving thanks also allows us to recognize God’s hand in our life.  It allows us to see the truth; there is no such thing as luck or coincidence, only God’s providence and the more I notice it and thank him for it, the clearer his Will for my life becomes.  Perhaps these three things will help you discover a path to His plan!
A Seed To Plant:  Copy down this verse and put it into action this week.  See how many times a day you can incorporate these three simple things.

Blessings on your day!