JOY: Part of God's Plan

Read: Isaiah 11:1-9

By Shana Hartman

Sometimes I think I make life harder than it really is or than God intends it to be.

I worry, search for answers, and worry some more. Despite my repeated best efforts, I realize over and over that I ultimately wind up right where God intends me to be all along.

One example I reflect on in this season of joy is how I met my husband. About seven years ago I had it all figured out: my current job was not for me and I needed to move on. After submitting numerous applications near and far, and spending lots of time worrying about where I would end up, I received a random voicemail from a guy I worked with but barely knew existed at the time.

The coming months sent me down a path of love and joy unlike any I had experienced. Our relationship grew with ease and with God. I never doubted. I never wondered. God showed up, pointed me in a completely different path than my human mind could fathom, and I (thankfully) heeded His call. I felt “God-Alive, a living knowledge of God ocean-deep, ocean-wide” (Isaiah 11:9 The Message).

While worry will come and my efforts to "do" life on my own will persist now and then, my hope this Advent season is that I can continue to trust in the ease of the Lord and realize that all the other fuss is just distracting background noise.