Last weekend we had a baby shower for my granddaughter who is expecting her first baby. This little girl who is on the way is a much longed for and planned for baby. We are all excited and looking forward to welcoming her into the world. And when she gets here she is going to be well equipped! It takes a lot of gear for a tiny baby! And it’s all so big and takes up so much space! I told my granddaughter she and her husband might need a bigger house.
It was so much fun watching her unwrap all the cute baby girl things, and to see all the interesting and useful gadgets new parents want today. I think most of us do the best we can as parents based on what we know. But the “best” I did fifty years ago would probably get me reported to child protective services today. My seat belt was an arm thrown across a child riding in the front seat. And my car seat was a flimsy metal and plastic thing with a toy steering wheel on the front that would impale a baby in a wreck. But that was the best at that time. We didn’t know. As parents we all have hopes and dreams for our children, and we want the very best for them.
Did you know that God planned for you and had hopes and dreams for you? Before God ever created the universe, before He ever said, “Let there be light,” He was thinking of you. The Bible tells us in Psalm 139 that God has a book for each of us, and in those books He recorded every moment of our lives before time even began. I think of it as my big planner in heaven. God was thinking about and making plans for us, and writing them down in our planners. The same Psalm says His thoughts about us cannot even be counted; they outnumber the grains of sand. He has been thinking about us since before time began.
God knew the day we would be conceived, the day we would be born, the day we will die, and every day in between. And all those thoughts He was thinking? Those are His plans for us, our purpose for being alive on earth. And He showered us with gifts, especially the gift of salvation, again, before the beginning of time. Just as my granddaughter is gathering everything she needs for her yet-to-be-born baby, God had everything we would ever need to carry out our purpose in place long before we were born.
Have you ever thought about why you are living at this particular time in history? God has the answer recorded in your book. That answer is your purpose for being here. And He even promises to come along side us to help us carry out those plans. However, we have a choice. We can live our lives our own way, go about our business, and never even consult Him about His plan for us. God won’t force us to carry out His plan. But what if we miss out on the best life we could ever experience?
You might be thinking that you don’t have time to carry out some grand plan because you have a job to get to, laundry to fold, children to care for, and groceries to buy. Well those things could very well be God’s plan for you today. Not all of us are called to be a Billy Graham or a Mother Teresa. And not every day is going to be a grand mountaintop day. But if you ask Him, He might just help you carry out a special assignment in the midst of your daily routine. Or He might help you do the mundane with grace and love.
Revelation 21:4 tells us that when we get to heaven, God will wipe away all our tears. I have a friend who believes that some of those tears will fall when we see our books opened up, when we see what God had planned for us that we missed. Even after all these years I have to remind myself every morning to consult God about my day. I certainly don’t get it right all the time, but I want to. I don’t want to miss out on my purpose.
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