What is God's Plan For Me in THIS?

Photo by George Dolgikh

“God has a plan for each of our lives. As hard as it is to understand and as painful as it might be, sometimes that even means Him allowing bad things to happen in order for His purpose to be fulfilled.” ~ Cherlisa Starks Richardson

Easter is upon us once again, and it has got me reminiscing of Easters gone by. I couldn’t help but smile when I recall a very cute and humorous Easter story from my past.

So let me set the scene for you. I was teaching an energetic group of three-year-olds at church and I was bound and determined, no matter what it took, to enlighten these kiddos about the true meaning of Easter. As the lesson unfolded I was trying my best to explain to them that Easter is so much more than chocolate bunnies and Easter baskets. One little guy interrupted me and said “You’re so right! Easter is not about the chocolate bunnies. (Wait for it…) It’s really about the chocolate eggs!” Oh no! I guess he didn’t really get it after all, much to my dismay.

After some other activities and riveting discussion, I thought I was actually making some real headway in the area of the true meaning of Easter.  With gusto, I began the grand finale of my Easter lesson, the holy grail for all Sunday school teachers everywhere: the flannel board story. Oh, how I loved those when I was a kid.

The story of the day was about Mary and Martha at the tomb of Jesus. They had come with broken hearts expecting to mourn and find his body there.  I explained they were very surprised and saddened because Jesus wasn’t there. The same little boy interrupted me again as I was explaining their sadness and said “No, I don't think they were sad about THAT, I think they were sad because they lost their chocolate bunnies.” I thought to myself, That's it! I give up! As an aside,  I had to chuckle though about a story shared when my cousin had that same little guy in Sunday school the next week. She too thought she was really getting somewhere with the lesson, especially when he asked if he could lead in prayer. Wow! Quite impressed she immediately responded “Yes, of course!” He was so excited and started praying with great enthusiasm “Oh Lord, for the dinosaurs. Help them! Keep them safe, just be with them Lord.” My cousin could barely keep a straight face, but admitted it was very sweet to hear him pray with such fervency.

Photo by Pixabay

Sometimes the best laid plans do not turn out the way we would like them to like my "life changing" Sunday School lesson, but that is just life sometimes. It does seem though, that in our busy society there truly are so many like my little friend who do not grasp what Easter is truly all about. In church each year at Easter we examine the great sacrifice that Christ made for us on the cross and celebrate communion together. It is something that is always an extremely powerful experience for me, as we truly meditate upon the selfless act of love that Christ did for us.

I cannot even imagine how the disciples felt to see their beloved friend crucified or Mary, his mother to witness the torture of her precious son. Even though Jesus had attempted to prepare them for this upcoming event, how can anyone ever really be prepared for THAT?  I am sure they were so confused, desperately wondering what is the point of all this? Fixating on the present, they were not even considering the miracle that was soon to take place. Ironically as they honestly thought everything was falling apart, it was clearly and miraculously falling into place for not just them, but all of us as God’s children.

Many times in life things in general happen to us that just do not make ANY sense. Plans fail, relationships break down, death takes a loved one, tragedy strikes, jobs are lost or disaster comes our way. Our corner of the world is rocked TO THE CORE and we shake our heads thinking... WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?? The group Casting Crowns has a beautiful song called Just Be Held.  The lyrics and message of the song really resonate with me, as they explain what often happens during the most confusing and painful times in our lives. The song says “Your world’s not falling apart.  It’s falling into place.” To check out that beautiful song click here.

We only see a small part of the picture, but God sees the big picture. Many times in my life I have wondered why I have had heartaches and struggles. I have been angry and questioned why did I have to go through these challenges when I could have learned the same lesson another, less painful way? The beautiful thing is with God’s help and the passage of time, we can take all that pain and channel it in a positive way to help others. We have a powerful connection with others when we too have walked that same road. Our family has experienced immense grief, miscarriages, serious illness, unemployment, financial setbacks, and other personal struggles. I can say with assurance that there is not one difficult thing that we have gone through that we have not been able to speak about to help others. 

When going through a hard time and you find yourself asking what the point of it all is, remember God opens doors and closes them in our lives. Remember too in the Easter story, things looked so dark on Friday, but by Sunday the situation had been miraculously changed!

​You do not know when your breakthrough is coming and it could be much sooner than you ever dreamed. Consider the fact that maybe, just maybe if you are open to the possibility, your world’s not falling apart but instead it's falling perfectly into place. 

Sending you so much love,

Dana

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. 
 
Little Lesson Learned: When we question a chapter of our story, remember we don't know how our story ends, but God does. Learn to practice patience and trust Him. 

Author

Dana Romualdi is a Canadian elementary teacher, author, social worker, blogger and speaker. She has a passion for helping others and spreading much-needed encouragement. She lives in Canada with her husband and two grown children. When she is not working in the classroom or blogging, she enjoys drinking coffee, watching Netflix and reading great books.​

Copyright: © 2024 littlelessonslearnedbydana (revised edition) 2016 original, first edition entitled "What's the Point?" 
(Dana Romualdi)  
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Tags: What is God's plan for me? God's plan, Jeremiah 29:11, faith in hard times, trust in God, Easter, when God doesn't make sense