There is little in this world that can bring more satisfaction then placing the tip of your pen on well – worn paper and dragging it across the last line of a to do list
Maybe that is just me, your lil’ type A blogger 😉
But seriously, a lot of us have lists that help us organize, keep track of, and prioritize things in our lives. From grocery lists, to school planners, house projects to vacation packing, there are HUNDREDS probably THOUSANDS made every year. And while they have so much use in keeping us organized, they can keep us from experiencing God’s best when they are applied to the wrong thing or held too tightly in our hand.
For example...2013:
Taller than me
Loves dogs
Handsome
Makes me laugh
Likes traveling
Older than me
Intelligent
Loves Jesus
Romantic
Now looking back at this .... I can see that it is a TAD superficial, but lets cut me some slack because I was a young woman trying to figure out life. This was the list I made back when I was 14 picturing the man that I would one day call my husband. And in an entry I made in my journal on 11/12/2013 I wrote: “I just wrote a list of the perfect guy and you meet all the requirements.” OOF 😅
Now, over the years that list went through some alterations as I experienced my first love and learned what I liked in a guy and what I definitely did not. But there always seemed to be an unconscious list I had in my mind to determine if I thought we could one day build a life together.
Luckily, as I entered college I simultaneously started praying for God to help me hold guys with an open hand and allow Him to guide me to my future husband. Which he did in a way that surprised both me and my man. Still, all along that journey, I was hoping for God to give me a man who fit what I thought was best for me according to the list I had created all those years ago.
And I could not be more thankful that God is not a genie 🧞♂️. He is happy to answer our prayers in an unexpected manner [sometimes one we deem unfavorable] to lead us to an unexpected good, one that far exceeds our limited hopes and dreams:
Isaiah 55: 8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
I mean lets see how my fiancé [I literally can’t believe he will be my husband soon eek!] compares to my list from 2013
Taller than me - yup, mans is just tall enough for me to be in the clear to wear heels
Loves dogs - also yes
Handsome - 10/10
Makes me laugh - oh yes, a gut aching type of laugh
Likes traveling - he will tolerate it but he certainly loves staying home
Older than me - he is actually one year younger than I am
Intelligent - oh yes, calc wiz to my inability to even manage calculating a tip *face palm*
Loves Jesus - more than me
Romantic - to a degree, he is currently helping remodel our short term Columbus house, but doesn’t always see the purpose in purchasing flowers that die in three days under my black thumb
What did God add that I did not even consider:
Leadership, perseverance, determination, hardwork, gentleness, toughness, loyal, others oriented, unconditional love, conflict resolution, communication, recovery warrior with me,
patience, kindness, humbleness, confidence, compassion, servant nature, spiritual maturity, protector, best friend, positivity, reason ….
I could go on and on and one but you get the point.
God did not meet every condition on my list, or at least not in the exact way I expected. And yet, he gave me so much more than I could ever imagine for myself, far more than I deserve.
So what?
Lists can be an amazing tool, but if I had been too stuck on my list I would have missed the man right in front of me who compliments me in every way so very well. I would have looked right over who God had for me because I was so focused on what I had planned for myself.
So this is my challenge for myself and for you: hold your lists with an open hand. This does not mean dont have lists. They help with organization, they help you prioritize qualities that are MUSTS in a man, they can be amazing at keeping you on track. However, allow God the space and freedom to adjust your list or completely rip up your list as you listen to His guidance. Realize that your human lists are not always what is actually best and allow them to be submitted overall to His will. Allow him to work and move in ways you don't expect and be looking for that so you don't miss it!
I promise. God may work in a way that does not make sense, and sometimes his answers hurt for a bit, but if you submit your lists to God’s will, God does not disappoint.
So here is to a year of loosely held lists, lots of God- things, and growing closer to the one who holds all of my tomorrows!
Comments