Problems or Plans?
God has no problems, only plans. I overheard this quote one day as I was walking through the family room in my house. It stopped me in my tracks. For one, it’s a clearly and succinctly spoken truth that, when allowed to hover and eventually sink in my mind and heart, drives away my human tendencies toward apprehension or worry. And the second reason it stopped me mid-step was because of who was being quoted—Corrie ten Boom.
Corrie ten Boom is one of those people I find incredibly inspiring. Her life story and choices in the face of unspeakable and unjustifiable atrocities that completely and forever altered the course of her and her family’s life (and the entire globe) leaves my eyes a little…or, okay, a lot…wet every time I think about her. She had every reason to fear, be angry, resentful, and bitter, and yet chose forgiveness, kindness, humility, and love. What strength! No one would have thought less of her had she chosen fear and/or anger. She is only human, with the same emotions as the rest of us.
She is only human, yes, but she made extraordinary choices. She made the choice, even while imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, the same camp that claimed the life of her sister; she made the choice to trust God in her heart. This trust in God was evidenced through her choices to be thankful despite being in the worst situation imaginable and her focus on ministering God’s love and hope to the other women who were trapped in the same situation as she was. In spite of the horrific treatment and imprisonment…either of which are FAR worse problems than I’ve ever encountered in my life…Corrie chose to trust that God had a plan. This choice, this focus, clearly impacted the atmosphere of her heart, but the impact didn’t stop there. It also impacted the environment around her. Corrie wound up being a source of strength for the other women in the concentration camp, and her message of hope gave them hope as well.
As I finished my trek across the family room, allowing her words to mull around my heart, God has no problems, only plans, I began to think, Yes, He doesn’t have problems, so…I guess neither do I. I may not have the plan, but I CAN have faith in His plan. Next time I think or feel like I have a problem, I just need to dig deeper into my faith in Him and have trust and confidence that He has a plan, even if I can’t see it or understand it right now. I won’t see problems, just an opportunity to have greater faith in His plan. If Corrie can do it, so can I.
Let’s dig deep into faith in Him, in His Word, in His love and find strength and hope that we can share with those around us. Be blessed!