Confessions of a People Pleaser, part 1
I am a people pleaser. I often don't state my opinions on issues because I want people to like me. I'm working on that. Today's post is: "God has a plan for your life." Honestly I struggle with this one, and I think you will hear some of that in this post. I want to preface this post by saying these are my thoughts, and you don't have to agree with me. I don't know if I always even agree with myself. I am just trying to get better at taking risks and putting my thoughts out there. All I ask is if you want to comment, please be respectful. So here goes...
Does God have a plan? And if God already knows what will happen, do we really have free will?
These are big questions that people of faith have to wrestle with. The reality is there is no easy answer and will always be disagreement on these issues. And truth be told, people have good basis for believing different things on this issue.
I do believe God has a plan. Actually I believe God has lots of plans. I no longer believe there is only one right plan for every person. And in fact, I think the idea that there is only one right plan and we have to figure it out causes a lot of unnecessary stress. I remember when I was graduating from college and I was so stressed trying to figure out what to do next in my life. I was basically debating between being a preschool teacher (because I knew I could get the job), going to school for school counseling, or going into ministry in Christian education or youth ministry. And honestly, I was incredibly stressed in the process. I felt that I had to get this decision right or it was going to mess up the rest of my life. And then a good friend gave me some words of wisdom that I really needed to hear. He said essentially, "Katy, you can do anything of those things, and if you glorify God, you will still be living in his will." Wow. It was such a freeing thought for me. I didn't have to get it right. God could use the decisions that I made to further the kingdom - no matter what those decisions were.
And honestly my life has taken a lot of twists and turns. I was an assistant preschool teacher for a school year. And I hated it. But I learned more about myself in those 9 months than I would have if I had fallen immediately into something I loved. I learned that I feel trapped in routine - I like variety in my schedule. I learned that I like preschoolers in small doses but hours on end day after day is too much for me. I learned that I like being fun and silly - music and dancing was always my favorite part of the day to lead.
While I was still working at the preschool, I started graduate school for my master's in school counseling. Then I went back to working at camp, and I found myself asking the same questions. Did I really want to do school counseling? Or did I want to go into youth ministry? That summer I had a group of campers that caused me to choose youth ministry. They asked so many good questions and I felt inadequate to answer them but honored that they would choose to ask. And so I started seminary and got my master's in Christian Education with a youth ministry specialization. And I've been in youth ministry ever since.
Many people would argue that God had a plan to get me into youth ministry all along. And maybe you're right. Only God knows. But even if youth ministry was God's plan for me, there is so much decision in where and how I fulfill that. I recently was offered 2 jobs and had to choose. And honestly, I think Jesus could have used me for amazing ministry in either place. There were things that intrigued me about the church I didn't choose. Ultimately, I made the decision that seemed to fit for me and where I am in life right now. But I don't believe there was a right and wrong choice. I believe there was simply a choice.
One of my mottoes for life - and especially for ministry - is make a plan and expect it to change. And honestly, if I, a mere human, can adjust to the ever changing plans and needs of teenagers in the ministry I am doing, how much more can the God who created the universe adjust to the decisions we make?
Again, this is just my perspective on this issue. You can see how it has changed over the years. And it's entirely possible that my views will change again. The beauty of God being so much bigger than my comprehension is that there is always room for change and growth in my understanding and faith. But I know that whether it's been God's plan along or decisions that I have made and honored God through, Jesus is on this adventure called life with me and I'm excited to see what we can do together in this new phase of the adventure.
Does God have a plan? And if God already knows what will happen, do we really have free will?
These are big questions that people of faith have to wrestle with. The reality is there is no easy answer and will always be disagreement on these issues. And truth be told, people have good basis for believing different things on this issue.
I do believe God has a plan. Actually I believe God has lots of plans. I no longer believe there is only one right plan for every person. And in fact, I think the idea that there is only one right plan and we have to figure it out causes a lot of unnecessary stress. I remember when I was graduating from college and I was so stressed trying to figure out what to do next in my life. I was basically debating between being a preschool teacher (because I knew I could get the job), going to school for school counseling, or going into ministry in Christian education or youth ministry. And honestly, I was incredibly stressed in the process. I felt that I had to get this decision right or it was going to mess up the rest of my life. And then a good friend gave me some words of wisdom that I really needed to hear. He said essentially, "Katy, you can do anything of those things, and if you glorify God, you will still be living in his will." Wow. It was such a freeing thought for me. I didn't have to get it right. God could use the decisions that I made to further the kingdom - no matter what those decisions were.
And honestly my life has taken a lot of twists and turns. I was an assistant preschool teacher for a school year. And I hated it. But I learned more about myself in those 9 months than I would have if I had fallen immediately into something I loved. I learned that I feel trapped in routine - I like variety in my schedule. I learned that I like preschoolers in small doses but hours on end day after day is too much for me. I learned that I like being fun and silly - music and dancing was always my favorite part of the day to lead.
While I was still working at the preschool, I started graduate school for my master's in school counseling. Then I went back to working at camp, and I found myself asking the same questions. Did I really want to do school counseling? Or did I want to go into youth ministry? That summer I had a group of campers that caused me to choose youth ministry. They asked so many good questions and I felt inadequate to answer them but honored that they would choose to ask. And so I started seminary and got my master's in Christian Education with a youth ministry specialization. And I've been in youth ministry ever since.
Many people would argue that God had a plan to get me into youth ministry all along. And maybe you're right. Only God knows. But even if youth ministry was God's plan for me, there is so much decision in where and how I fulfill that. I recently was offered 2 jobs and had to choose. And honestly, I think Jesus could have used me for amazing ministry in either place. There were things that intrigued me about the church I didn't choose. Ultimately, I made the decision that seemed to fit for me and where I am in life right now. But I don't believe there was a right and wrong choice. I believe there was simply a choice.
One of my mottoes for life - and especially for ministry - is make a plan and expect it to change. And honestly, if I, a mere human, can adjust to the ever changing plans and needs of teenagers in the ministry I am doing, how much more can the God who created the universe adjust to the decisions we make?
Again, this is just my perspective on this issue. You can see how it has changed over the years. And it's entirely possible that my views will change again. The beauty of God being so much bigger than my comprehension is that there is always room for change and growth in my understanding and faith. But I know that whether it's been God's plan along or decisions that I have made and honored God through, Jesus is on this adventure called life with me and I'm excited to see what we can do together in this new phase of the adventure.
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