Lately, I've been thinking about all of the reasons why it just doesn't work out sometimes. Everyone has a time when the sun comes up, another page of life is turned, and the story that unfolds is nothing like we ever imagined it. Whatever the story may be, for better or for worse, something we all need to realize is that life is MEANT to be a surprise. Life is supposed to move you, shake you, rattle you into a confused little piece all for the purpose of sweet humility. No matter what we do or how well we prepare our own story, I think at some point we reach this reality show kind of, "OH NO he didn't" moment with God. I like to think of him just sitting up in heaven with a tall glass of sweet tea laughing so hard and shouting, "Child, this is the single moment that will change everything. This moment will change who you are. This is what I have been waiting for."
This week God was just sitting up there sipping, beaming down some cold hard truth that changed me. This is how it went:
Tuesday I stumbled upon this amazing piece of His literature. Psalm 139:16
"You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."
It didn't happen immediately, but throughout the week this became crystal clear. For me, I have a daily struggle as a dreamer, a wanderlust, a believer of extraordinary because it seems like in so many ways my thoughts dramatically over exaggerate reality. I want the best, believe in the best, and see only the best. Here comes the intervention.... news flash: 99.9% of our life is time meant for working to accomplish "the best" of us. This rocked me a little, because for those who are constantly striving for the best in a world that is constantly changing, when will there ever be rest?
My answer was in the three sentences of Psalm 139:16. Just because it isn't the best, doesn't mean it isn't perfect. Confusing? Yeah it was for me a little at first. But the more I thought about it the more it made sense. If every single page of our life was written before we ever even took our first breath, that means that day to day- our placement, timing, and situation is PERFECT in exactly the way it is. In our minds this might not be "the best" that our personal expectations have created, but the best is a gift. It happens with perseverance, patience, and kindness. It happens in absolute perfect time because remember- every story was written in permanent ink in preparation for the life we would live.
I like to categorize the group of people in this world that see and expect the best in everything as the healers. Healers bring light to darkness, ideas to problems, positive to negative, blue to gray. In this quirky little conversation "healers" is way too normal so I am going to rename this group the "peelers." Yes, peelers. Why?
Sometimes in the strongest, most available parts of our lives God uses us to peel away layers of doubt, layers of negative, layers of confusion, layers of ordinary in situations that just need some breathing room. Life is all about single moments that make up this really amazing sitcom we are lucky enough to call ours. Unfortunately, some moments are put into in our path for a day, some for a few days, some for three years, and then it's time for the next chapter. People, places, life is made up of layers that are destined to be peeled away by a really amazing situation, a challenging moment, sometimes destined to be peeled away by the simple love of a beautiful soul. For the majority of our lives we are experiencing life by the layer, peeling off pieces bit by bit. Most of those layers reveal another that is meant for someone else. Luckily enough, the first layer is just as important as the last. It may not be the final piece but it is a perfect piece to a perfect story. To your perfect story.
For some of us, our last peel will be much later than others, for some, a lot earlier than most. This life is all about seeing and experience things in God's perfect plan that connects us all into the complete armor of Him. Think about it- it is already written out. Our story is already complete! So let's not sweat it anymore. Let's live each day, make another peel, and celebrate what happens next. Trust the timing of your story, trust the level of your layer, trust that you are the next step to someone's perfection, to your own perfection, to God's perfection. And be insanely proud of that.
All my Love,
CM
