I look back now and remember all the misconceptions I had about life, about how my life should be. I had a lot of maturing to do, to say the least. One misconception conceived between my pre-teen and teen years had a dramatic impact on my life in later years. There was a friend of my youth who had access to a credit card. My friend told me her mother had given it to her for her own personal usage. I was envious because to have a credit card to me at that time symbolized status…importance…being with the “in-crowd”. Some years later (during my college years) I felt privileged to be able to tote a retail card around. Of course, after I finished college I didn’t feel so privileged to have that credit card along with the debt from my school loan and no job. It wasn’t until after I’d obtained more credit cards and financial debt that I came to value the freedom of not being indebted to others. I came to realize I had mistaken the “power of plastic” for prestige. I had mistaken the “power of plastic” for financial freedom. And anyone who gets caught up in that trap will always quickly find that thinking leads to slavery. That’s food for thought to ponder in more detail.
Still I think one of the greatest misconceptions I had about my life hindered me from seeing God’s personal plan for my life. For a while I was bitter with God because I could not obtain a job in the field I studied. It is here that I must point out that I never consulted God concerning what I should do as a profession or what to do just simply to support my means of living. I’ve heard some people say that God doesn’t care about things like this…what job we take…what we wear when we leave the house today. From personal experience I would have to say He does care. God knew that later on in my life the job I so desired would negatively impact my joy, my life. I remember being impressed with others who would arrive late at church (or maybe not at all) because their jobs detained them. Now isn’t that the most stupid sounding thing you’ve ever heard! It wasn’t the missing church part that impressed me; church has always been an intricate part of my life. It was the part of your job being so important (just plain DEMANDING) that it could keep you from somewhere you would otherwise be! At that time, to me that’s what looked like a very important person. I was so naïve back then! But see at that time all I could get were clerical positions that didn’t pay much of anything. I needed to feel important. Today I know that those who seem to be in important positions have a whole lot more responsibility than I had anticipated. Seeing where I am now in life, there are days I’ve wished my position wasn’t SO important. (Be careful what you pray for; you just might get it.) Today I no longer wish for some of the jobs I once desired. As a matter of fact, I’m now looking to change my career path. I’m truly grateful that in God’s infinite wisdom He blocked doors that would have opened to jobs He knew would cause me a lot more heartache later on. (How miserable my life would be right now).
God really does have a plan for our lives. And if we can just learn the art of letting Him have full control of our lives without having all the answers upfront, we will live happier, contented lives.
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