When Life Suddenly Turns Out To Be Embarrassing

Brethren, what if you knew from an early age that God set a purpose for you, only to find yourself on a roller coaster ride of extreme ups and downs, none of which made any sense? Isn’t it frustrating and depressing? You dreamed about finishing college, getting the good job you’ve always aimed for, achieving your dreams and goals step by step, and living your life. But it’s not working out that way. You finished college, but you did not end up with the job you wanted.

You realised some of your goals, but you’re not as close as you thought you’d be to your dreams. And worse: You’re stuck, unhappy, and hardly living your life. Think you have problems? Take a look at the life of Joseph, as told in Genesis 37, 39 – 47.

LIFE IS GOOD

If you ask me, that doesn’t look like an easy life of one progressive step of success to another, and for such a godly person, you’d think it would be easier. But God can bring about the good in your life through a series of shut and open doors. Yet in the end, Joseph’s life came full circle. He looked back on it and the pieces finally made sense. (Genesis 50:20).

What happens when things go entirely different from what you planned? How do you keep living when life doesn’t turn out the way you expected it? What if you don’t get that one thing you desperately wanted? What if God decides to allow Satan to test you a little more-1 Peter 5:10?We can make our plans, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails (Proverbs 19:21).

 Have you ever found yourself questioning your very existence and purpose in life? Is this how it is? Your mind starts to be filled with questions, doubt, and fear. You feel like God is working against you. You fear that life is knocking you down every single day(Job in the Bible). You doubt that anyone will understand you, so you face it all alone. (Job 1:13-22)

But you see, maybe it’s life telling you that all along this is the right path(Isaiah 55:8-9). That the way you plan your life isn’t the better idea to reach your goals(Proverbs 14:12). It is God telling you that this is where you will grow, and this is the direction to follow and become the person you are meant to be. There are bumpy roads and curves in the journey because, as it turns out, you’ll discover more about yourself if you let your heart open to the new experiences.

You are too wonderfully created to let negativity dominate and drag you down. You must be willing to let go of the life you planned so as to have the one that is waiting for you. I have spent too much time worrying about something over which I have no control. I have to remind myself that this is not my fault, that this, too, will pass, and that better days are coming. ( Job 8.7).

 You just need to realize that life is full of challenges that you need to resolve in order to grow. You need to embrace the unplanned life in order for you to live a happy and passionate life. For once, do not compare yourself to your peers who achieved so much after college graduation or after their first job.

Remind yourself that we all have different paths to take to be successful, and you have your own timing. Do not hurry. Life is too short to be lived on fast-forward. Keep believing in yourself, that no matter how long the journey will take, it is always worth it. In short, you have to let go of wanting to control everything. Your feelings are valid just as long as you don’t let them define who you are and what your future will be.

 Chances are you will be happier if you live in the moment. Strengthen your faith and belief that God has a better plan for you that will make you happier than you ever thought you will be. Life will be more appreciated when it is lived. When life doesn’t turn out the way you want it, it will make you a stronger person. One day you will look back and be able to say “thank you God” that life took a U-turn and corrected your path, leading you to where you are now.

Brethren,Do you believe that whenever God closes a door, He opens a window? That is, do you believe that when we come upon a dead end in life, that it’s because there’s always a better opportunity around the corner? The door is shut, that ship has sailed. It could be a job loss, a break-up, a misunderstanding, a disappointment, anything. It could be losing something that you cherished and thanked God for every day, something that you knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that He gave you. So you cry out: Lord, why did you take it away?

As much as you want to plan your life, it has a way of surprising you with unexpected things that make you happier than you originally planned. That’s what you call God’s will. Just because the past didn’t turn out as you wanted it to doesn’t mean your future can’t be better than you’ve ever Imagined.

Pastor Nathaniel.