WHEN LIFE DOESN'T GO AS PLANNED
2020 has been a year none of us expected. I wish I could just blame the pandemic for wrecking my plans, but I'm learning a bigger lesson when my life plans get sideways.
On my journey over the last year and half, there have been many times I had to continuously remind myself of the goodness of God in spite of my circumstances.
At the beginning of 2019, God spoke to me that a new season was coming in my life. I had just finished spending Christmas with my family, when I was approached with a ministry opportunity.I had already felt challenged in my own personal walk to go deeper into the word of God, and then one of my leaders asked me if I had ever thought about doing a Bible school in YWAM. At one point I had considered it but hadn’t given it much thought since. So, I just began praying.
As I kept praying I met with several more leaders, shared my heart, and the direction I felt God was leading me in the coming year.
Eventually I applied to attend a Bible school here at YWAM Tyler, however, the school ended up being cancelled. I went back to God, and he spoke to me about staffing the DTS which began in January. This was the ministry opportunity I was given.
I’ll be honest, working with that school came at the perfect time. Leading up to it, I was in a difficult season. When I was seeking God the previous year, I had noticed I was neglecting the relationships around me.
I’m one of those people that keep a few close relationships. When the individuals I was close to transitioned away, I stayed in the same place. I stopped working on relationships and began living in a bubble. That’s where I was when the DTS started.
Walking into the school, I thought I would keep the same routine I had been in for the last year. I would work in the office, go to some classes with the students, and then zone out for the rest of the night. For anyone in a DTS, a lot of the relationship building happens outside of the classroom.
I had to choose to build relationships with the students instead of chilling out by myself in my free time. Looking back I am so thankful for the relationships I built.
As we began to prepare for outreach, COVID-19 hit the world and we ended up having to cancel a lot of the outreach. Like many other people I felt lost. “What do I do now, God?”
It’s been a long year and half of having expectations and plans derail due to circumstances completely out of my control. Nothing seemed to go the way I had planned.
No matter where you are in the world, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the same things have affected you as well. Truth is, we have two choices when things like this happen. We can become bitter and resentful, or we can continue to walk through life knowing we serve a good God -- a God who desires a relationship with us and will not leave our side no matter what.
As for me, I choose to believe God is still good and knows what's best for me.
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Maybe you are in a season of "What now?" The Discipleship Training School could be just the thing to help you grow in your faith and discover your purpose. 2020 doesn't have to end like it began. Take a leap of faith, and discover God's plan for your life.
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