2010 is coming to an end, and I have found that at the end of this chapter, I have come out on the other side STRONGER, MORE FAITH FILLED, and MORE IN LOVE WITH MY HEAVENLY FATHER....He has proven to me that he is faithful and trustworthy.
(one my favorite poems... I thought I 'd share.. really worth reading)
The Life I Planned
by Beth Moore
Has someone seen the life I planned?
It seems it's been misplaced
I've looked in every corner
It's lost without a trace
I've found one I don't recognize
Things missing that were dear
Promises I'd hoped to keep
And dreams I'd dreamed aren't here
Faces I had planned to see
Hands I planned to hold
Now absent in the picture
Not the way I told.
Has someone seen the life I planned?
Did it get thrown away?
God took my hand from searching
Then I heard him say;
"Child your ears have never heard
Your eyes have never seen
Eternal plans I have for you
Are more than you could dream.
"You long to walk by sight
But I'm teaching eyes to see.
I know what I am doing
'Til then you must believe."
He's done so much, I felt ashamed
To know He heard my moans
To think I'd trade in all He's done
For plans made on my own.
I wept over his faithfulness
And how He'd proved Himself
How He'd gone beyond my dreams
And said to Him myself,
"No my ears have never heard
My eyes have never seen
Eternal plans you have for me
Are more than I could dream.
"Yes I long to walk by sight
But You're teaching eyes to see
You know what you are doing
'Til then, I must believe."
I felt His great compassion
Mercy unrestrained
He let me mourn my losses
And showed to me my gains.
I offered Him my future
And released to Him my past
I traded in my dreams
For a plan He said would last.
I get no glimpse ahead
No certainties at all
Except the presence of the One
Who will not let me fall.
Are you also searching
For a life you planned yourself?
Have you looked in every corner?
Have you checked on every shelf?
Child your ears have never heard
Your eyes have never seen
Eternal plans He has for you
Are more than you could dream.
Perhaps you long to walk by faith
But He's teaching eyes to see
He knows what He is doing
Child, step out and believe.
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.
1Corinthians 2:9
I can absolutely relate to this post....and poem!! Oh my!!
ReplyDeleteand yes, please steal the tea time idea..I did :)
I met a woman/mother who spoke at a conference I attended on "how to keep your teens from rebelling"....I was on the front row! She shared this idea, and how she had used it with all of her children, even her boys. She said she spent 30 minutes a day with one of her children. And they all looked forward to their time with mom. Her children are grown & married now. In preparing for the conference, she asked each of them why they had not rebelled as teenagers....what kept them serving the Lord.
One said, "because Dad started every day reading the Word to us before he did anything else...and he lived what he believed."
Another said, "because of my time with you (Mom) over tea." That time had been a safe place for her to share her heart with her mom.
Another said, "because of tea time."
The mom said she used the time to share what she was learning in the Word, as well as letting her kids talk about what was on their mind. She didn't use it as a time for discipline, although that was a result many times.
TIME....that's the common denominator. And, I have to make time with my girls a priority.
love you, girl. Hope your New Year is FULL of New beginnings!
Tonja... I am going to use your idea... love it. Happy New year to you and your sweet family...
ReplyDeleteGreat poem! You will have an awesome year. . .I just know it! And did I miss something? Where did the tea time come from?
ReplyDelete