"Here am I. Send me!"

I have plans for my life. I'm sure everyone does. My plan has always been to get married shortly after graduating from college, find a good job with decent pay, buy a nice house before later having kids (potentially). Oh, and I want a Ferrari, but that might be a bit excessive. All of that doesn't sound too bad, right? That's not too much to ask for. I like to think I have my life planned out pretty well. I want to live near my parents and my sister and her husband. I want to have some animals, maybe horses, a dog and a cat. After a few years, I'll have children - two boys. I mean, this all sounds pretty normal. Ask just about anyone, and they will give you a similar story. 

However, although there is nothing wrong with what I have planned for my life, in the end, it's not my call. I don't get to decide what is going to happen with me after graduation. I might get married, and I might not. In church today, this verse was brought up: "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." ~ Proverbs 16:9. I have my life planned out, but God is the One determining what I do with my life. 

For some people, this is out of the question. American culture preaches individuality. You are your own person. You make your own decisions. You can do whatever you want with your life. You are strong and independent, and you don't need anyone besides yourself. You can make it on your own. For someone growing up with this mindset, it is extremely hard to just hand the reins over to God and say, "All right, God. Here's my life, You do with it what You please." 

But isn't that what Christians are called to do? Our lives are not our own. We have been bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ, and ultimately, He's the one in control. I won't lie... sometimes it is really hard for me to acknowledge that. I am the kind of person who wants things to be done my way. I was never good at working on group projects because I always felt that the project could be done better if I had just done it myself. So in all honesty, it's not easy for me to give up control of my life. I mean, after all, I have dreams and goals. There are things that I want to accomplish, places I want to go, people I want to be with. And while God's plan may line up with mine, I have to be willing to accept that there is the chance that God is going to call me to something else. 

I went to Peru this past summer, and when I returned, I had a lot of people asking if I would ever go back. I would always tell them, absolutely. It was such a beautiful place with great people. I would love to go back. Then I would always get those people who would say something like, "Well who knows? Maybe God is calling you to be a missionary there." Whoa. Hold up. No one said anything about being a missionary. 

I got to thinking, though. What if that is God's plan for my life? What if He has called me to be a missionary somewhere in the world? What if I am meant to leave my comfort zone  with my family, my friends and everything that is familiar? At this point in my life, I don't feel called to do that, but that could easily change. God is ordering my steps, and I need to be prepared for anything. 

The biggest thing to keep in mind, though, is that God is not going to call you to do something you are unequipped for. He will give you the tools and the training to accomplish His purposes. Also, He is not going to make you miserable. Wherever He sends you, whatever He has you doing, it will feel so right. It will feel so rewarding and so purposeful. 

There's a saying that I have written on my mirror in my dorm room. "God's plans are better than my dreams." I look at this daily because I constantly need to be reminded of this. No matter what my dreams are, God's plan is better. FAR better. Even if I don't end up rich, even if I don't have the house or car of my dreams, even if I don't get married, whatever God has in store for me will be so much greater. When you are fully engaged in serving the Lord and doing what He has for you, the material things of this world become second-best. They tend to lose their importance in our eyes. Sure, we may still want those things, but they are vital to our success. We understand that our lives can be rewarding even without them. 

We can all learn from the prophet Isaiah, who, when commissioned by God, immediately said, "Here am I. Send me!" This is easier said than done. I tell God that I am prepared for whatever He has in store for me, but if tomorrow He called me to serve in the mission field, how readily would I answer with "Here am I. Send me!"? I'd like to think that would be my first response, but in my heart, I know that it wouldn't be that easy. I would probably struggle with that decision. But in the end, you will never go wrong if you are following the call of God. 

Another verse that came up in church is a very familiar one. Jeremiah 29:11 - "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" As I said before, it is not the will of God that we be miserable. He wants us to succeed and be happy. He wants us to prosper. But He always wants us to do this in such a way that will bring Him honor and glory. There is no better way to glorify God than to listen to His voice and do what He commands. 

I hope you will just be thinking about all of this. Talk to God about this. Ask Him what He has in store for your life. Thank Him for where you currently are. Thank Him for being in control. Make it your daily goal to be closer to Him today than you were yesterday. And no matter what He may call you to, strive to be like Isaiah and reply with, "Here am I. Send me!"