The Shovel Spoon (#50 of 365+)

Yesterday my husband and I had a lengthy discussion about the mileage on the car. If we go over the maximum number of miles in our lease agreement we’ll have to pay a per-mileage penalty,
which is something I would rather avoid. Since I leased the car before I ever met him, I felt the need to communicate the situation to him so we could make our “plans” together. I was, as I often am, looking ahead several months down the road (the lease isn’t up until May). My husband thought I was “worrying” too much. He’s probably right. I’ve been having gastro-related problems the past couple of days and I thought it was due to the stressful workload at the office this week. However, I know the concerns about the car mileage situation didn’t make it any better. In addition, I’ve been seriously contemplating other things about our future, including finding a suitable house to live in. I was so disheartened earlier this week when I learned a house we’d been eyeing had been taken off the market. I don’t think I’m being materialistic with wanting a bigger home; we’ve simply outgrown our cramped apartment and it’s time to move on.

So, you see, I’m always looking ahead and trying to make plans. It’s just what I do. One of the biggest things I struggle with is feeling confident that I’m making the correct decision. Right before I began my devotional this morning I prayed for my husband and our son. I asked God to direct their steps and help them have a closer walk with him. I prayed the same for myself, and asked him to help me to go down the right path in all areas of my life. I threw in a quick prayer for wisdom about buying a home. As I closed I said something like, “I’m excited to hear what You are going to say to me today”. When I opened the devotional book to today’s date I found the following bible verse across the top:

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps” (Proverbs 16:9)

Wow. I believe this is God’s way of encouraging my husband and I to make the best decisions we can and not worry—and let God watch out for our best interests. If something goes wrong and our plan fails we should be flexible enough to see it as a sign that God is working something out on our behalf. After all, everything happens for a reason. For example, let’s say we decide to buy or rent a house but then I suddenly lose my job. It probably would mean that God has something much better in mind for us. Who knows what “better” could mean: a better time (next year), a better location (closer to our son’s school), a better house (lower price), or even a better job (less hours or higher salary!).

One evening before dinner, Joni found out she’d lost her favorite bent spoon. This was the special spoon that fit into her arm splint so she could feed herself. As disappointed as she was, it worked out for the best because they found a replacement spoon with a flattened edge that worked so much better than the other one. As she said, “I thought my old spoon was irreplaceable, but God had a better idea. I only discovered God’s idea after I lost ‘what I couldn’t live without’. Often we cannot envision the better ‘new thing’ God has in mind until we lose the old.”

This is so true when we first accept Christ and leave our old life behind, and it continues to apply to everything in our new life with him. Whether it involves material possessions, careers, vacation plans, or even dating partners… No matter what, God’s best is always so much better than even our best laid plans.

Lord, thank you for lovingly watching over every detail of our lives. Even if we can’t know everything you have in store for the future we trust that you will work everything out for the best. Give us wisdom to make sound decisions and then give us peace no matter what happens next. Amen.