Reason #470
I started this burlap wreath in the fall. I ran out of burlap and was unable to finish it the night I started the project. I sat it in the closet with full intentions to complete it soon. I wanted to hang it on my front door and modify it throughout the seasons, as burlap is quite versatile. After a few weeks, I finally made a point to go buy some more burlap and pins to complete the wreath. Unfortunately, the partially completed wreath continued to sit in the closet and I never found time to finish it... until tonight.
Day 2 of wedding crafts was a success. We put a dent in our list, but still have a ways to go. I had an idea of this wreath I wanted to use on the front door of the chapel, however, it was going to take quite a bit of work and I really had no clue how to even start it. I had looked at a few DIY instructions, but I just didn't feel very comfortable attempting to make it. My mom suggested the burlap wreath, and I was glad she remembered it. I pulled it out of the closet and tonight we completed the wreath. Burlap covered her kitchen floor, and I ate a few too many strands, but it's all done. I couldn't be happier with it either. It turned out just as I had imagined, and it's definitely going to serve a great purpose.
As I worked on that wreath tonight, my mind went back to the fall when I sat in the living room with a couple of my girlfriends to start this project. Little did I know that this very wreath I was beginning would grace the chapel doors at my wedding. I had other plans for this wreath, but thankfully, those didn't come to fruition. Because, as you well know, if you dare place a wreath on your front door in West Texas, it shall be claimed by the dirt in no time. Would that have been the case, there is no way it would have been a part of my big day. And so this little burlap wreath has patiently been waiting to find it's purpose, and I'm glad, for once, that I procrastinated in finishing it. Worked out for the best!
I think this is our case sometimes. The Lord works on us, spending time cleaning out our hearts, refining and shaping us, molding us, and we can see that things are changing. Maybe our attitudes, our talents, our surroundings, our circumstances. We are starting to take on a particular form, but we aren't sure yet how we will be used. And then there comes the season of waiting. We sit and wait. We know we have a purpose, but what is it? Why does He have us here? Where is going to take us, use us? And when? And, if you're like me, this is the most frustrating part of it all. Because in my mind, I can always think of a thousand things and ways He can use me. And so I try to rush Him. Hurry, hurry, and finish me so I can fulfill my purpose. Do what you need to do quickly so I don't have to wait in suspense anymore. But I realize that timing is everything and when He is ready for me fulfill a certain role or purpose, He will finish working on me just in time to do it. He will prepare me and make sure I'm completely ready for it. And until then, I have to just wait and trust that He knows what He is doing. I don't want to push myself into something that would later keep me from being as useful as possible, and I remind myself that at the right moment everything will play out according to His perfect plans.
He doesn't forget about us. He works on us as He needs to, He gives us seasons of rest as we need them, and He prepares us for where He wants to use us the whole time. He has a place for us. He knows where He wants us, and He will make sure we are ready for it when the time comes. And so my prayer is that I would be patient. That I truly would wait upon the Lord rather than trying to coerce Him into working at my pace in the direction I want. And when we trust in His timing, in His plans, in His working and in His promises, we can rest assured that everything will work out for the best!
#470 - Because He will make sure we are prepared in time to fulfill His purpose for our lives.
"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11
Day 2 of wedding crafts was a success. We put a dent in our list, but still have a ways to go. I had an idea of this wreath I wanted to use on the front door of the chapel, however, it was going to take quite a bit of work and I really had no clue how to even start it. I had looked at a few DIY instructions, but I just didn't feel very comfortable attempting to make it. My mom suggested the burlap wreath, and I was glad she remembered it. I pulled it out of the closet and tonight we completed the wreath. Burlap covered her kitchen floor, and I ate a few too many strands, but it's all done. I couldn't be happier with it either. It turned out just as I had imagined, and it's definitely going to serve a great purpose.
As I worked on that wreath tonight, my mind went back to the fall when I sat in the living room with a couple of my girlfriends to start this project. Little did I know that this very wreath I was beginning would grace the chapel doors at my wedding. I had other plans for this wreath, but thankfully, those didn't come to fruition. Because, as you well know, if you dare place a wreath on your front door in West Texas, it shall be claimed by the dirt in no time. Would that have been the case, there is no way it would have been a part of my big day. And so this little burlap wreath has patiently been waiting to find it's purpose, and I'm glad, for once, that I procrastinated in finishing it. Worked out for the best!
I think this is our case sometimes. The Lord works on us, spending time cleaning out our hearts, refining and shaping us, molding us, and we can see that things are changing. Maybe our attitudes, our talents, our surroundings, our circumstances. We are starting to take on a particular form, but we aren't sure yet how we will be used. And then there comes the season of waiting. We sit and wait. We know we have a purpose, but what is it? Why does He have us here? Where is going to take us, use us? And when? And, if you're like me, this is the most frustrating part of it all. Because in my mind, I can always think of a thousand things and ways He can use me. And so I try to rush Him. Hurry, hurry, and finish me so I can fulfill my purpose. Do what you need to do quickly so I don't have to wait in suspense anymore. But I realize that timing is everything and when He is ready for me fulfill a certain role or purpose, He will finish working on me just in time to do it. He will prepare me and make sure I'm completely ready for it. And until then, I have to just wait and trust that He knows what He is doing. I don't want to push myself into something that would later keep me from being as useful as possible, and I remind myself that at the right moment everything will play out according to His perfect plans.
He doesn't forget about us. He works on us as He needs to, He gives us seasons of rest as we need them, and He prepares us for where He wants to use us the whole time. He has a place for us. He knows where He wants us, and He will make sure we are ready for it when the time comes. And so my prayer is that I would be patient. That I truly would wait upon the Lord rather than trying to coerce Him into working at my pace in the direction I want. And when we trust in His timing, in His plans, in His working and in His promises, we can rest assured that everything will work out for the best!
#470 - Because He will make sure we are prepared in time to fulfill His purpose for our lives.
"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11
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