The first couple nights of winter break, I went to sleep on time. I got good sleep, I woke up at a decent time and everything was alright. Towards the end of break when I knew it was time for me to prepare for my return to work, that’s when my sleep became jagged. I went to sleep at all hours of the night and, although my sleep was peaceful and undisturbed, it was not fulfilling. It was not enough.
That’s when the dreams would come.
As I look at my life, I have to confess that I am a planner. I habitually plan everything that I am going to do. I literally carve out time to sit and sync my planner and calendar with one another. Hmm, I think I’ve shared this truth with you many times. However, up until this very moment, I got upset every single time that my life did not work out the way that I had planned. How could God not allow my life to flow the way that I thought it should? More honesty, I even thought about quitting my plans and habitual planning because I was tired of my life not working out the way that I had planned. Almost.
But here’s the thing about planning- it’s ok if it doesn’t go the way that you think it will go. Planning gives you a general direction in which you would like your life to go. It’s not saying, “Ok, everything has to go all East, all of the time, because this is the way that I am mapping my life to go.” No, planning is simply just you saying, “OK, instead of being all over the map, this is the general direction in which I would like my life to go. God, is this what You agree to? If so, then let’s do this thing!”
So, that’s where I am today. As I dare to dream, I dare to plan. I dare to step out on faith and take a leap ahead to say, “Ok, God, I don’t know everything but You do, so can we sit down together and make this a thing? Can it happen? Please? Please? I love You, Lord…”
I have not yet been released to share the dreams that God has revealed to me thus far, but I can say with certainty that they are going to require an enormous amount of faith, trust, and planning. As I sit in the proverbial waiting room of my future, I am looking at the people, places, and things around me and I am processing the possibilities of what’s to come. After reading this far, you may be asking, “what’s your point, Michelle?” Well, here it is: I dare you to sit down with God and let Him plan out your life. I dare you to meet with Him and find out His intentions for your future and let Him guide you the way that He desires. I dare you to take the next steps to truly be intentional about letting God have His way in your life. I can make you no promises except this one- it will not be easy.
In my 35 years of living (which, I get it; that’s nothing in comparison to others), I have learned that the greatest opposition that I have ever encountered in life came when I decided to give my life over to God. I distinctly remember Sunday, February 26, 2017. I was driving home from Virginia Beach and I was singing “Yes” by Shekinah Glory. Traffic on I-95 was moving with an occasional stop and just as the song ended, my life changed. The car in front of me came to a stop, I came to a stop, and so did the car behind me… but the work truck behind it, did not. I saw the potential accident and I tensed up, so when the car behind me came crashing into me, the pain was immediate and still haunts me at times today. That was my “shift” moment and my shift song. From that day forward, I knew that whenever I heard that song, God was preparing to make a major shift in my life. And, just like that car accident, the shift was preceded by great pain… and followed by tremendous beauty.
Despite the pain and opposition that come with following God’s plan versus my own, I would still choose His way any day. You see, there is a divine beauty and blessing that come in being obedient. Life may not be easy but God promises that He will be there every step of the way. So if He promises this, I might as well take the path that He has planned for me to take, right? Right!
Plan, Beloved; write the vision that God has given to you and make it plain! Yet don’t forget to include God in your planning and let Him be the main contributor. Dare to dream and dare to plan.
Be blessed.
God Happened To ME Ministries, LLC 