Isaiah 55:8-9
(NIV)
"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.
Recently
I attended my 50th class reunion at Wheaton College. It was great to
reconnect with the campus and with former classmates. On Saturday night, our
class had a banquet. During that time the question was asked how many of us
ended up working in a field other than our major. An amazing number of hands
were raised. I was one of them.
In
preparation for my reunion, I pulled out my collage yearbook. At the beginning
of the yearbook was an article titled, Under Construction: You. The gist of the
article was that our graduation was not an end in itself, but a beginning. As I
reflected upon my time at Wheaton, one of the things that stands out is that
every professor stressed that the goal of our education is to be a life-long
learner. We were laying a foundation at Wheaton that we could build upon for a
life-time.
When I
went to Wheaton, I had my sites set on being a medical missionary in Haiti.
With that in mind I chose biology as my major, with the intention of going into
Medical Technology. God had other plans. Once I finished my degree (with a side
trip back to a community college along the way) I did not feel prepared to be a
missionary. At that time, a friend of mine from High School was attending
Bethel Theological Seminary. He encouraged me to join him there, which I did.
That decision resulted in a major shift in the direction of my life.
I
enrolled at Bethel in the Master of Christian Education Program. My plan was to
work in the background in a lab and do some youth ministry on the side. That
was not God’s plan. During my first year at Bethel two of my professors
challenged me to pursue preaching. By the end of that year I had transferred to
the Master of Divinity program.
Fast
forward, that decision eventually landed me in Mankato, MN where I pastored a
church for 31 years. During that time God gave me the opportunity to invest in
the lives of international students from all over the world. He also opened the
door for me to travel to Ukraine and minister to the people there. In the end I
made 16 trips to Ukraine, building a solid relationship with two small churches
and helping to train church leaders. God fulfilled my desire to be a
missionary, just not in the way I had planned.
As I
reflect back over the past 50 years, I can see God’s hand at work directing and
redirecting my steps. He knew that my plan was not the best one. I was able, through
a classmate at Bethel, to see firsthand what life would have been like as a
missionary to Haiti. God also challenged me to use the gifts He had given me,
even though I was reluctant to do so. In the end His plan was and is far better
than my plan.
We are
all on a journey. It is a journey with many twists and turns. It is rarely, if
ever, a straight line. But when we submit our plans to God and yield to His
plan, we discover that His plan is always the best.
When I
was in High School, I adopted Proverbs 3:5-6 as my life verses. Trust in the
LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your
ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. The KJV is
slightly different from the NIV translation. Trust in the LORD with all
thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways
acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV) When I
put these two versions together, I can see how God has been working His plan in
my life. He has led me along the straight path, which is not always the easiest
path to follow. He has also been directing my path all along. The words of the
prophet Isaiah have truly been validated in my life.
Isaiah 55:8-9
(NIV)
"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.
