The Right Place at The Right Time

Remember how we talked about how I like to mentally plan my weekly blog posts? Well today was supposed to be my two word challenge. On Tuesday night when I was watching The Biggest Loser, I wrote out all the combinations, cut them up, and put them in a bowl. See?

When the show was over I had Stephen draw one. I was EXTREMELY nervous to read it. You guys gave me some AWFUL combinations. So when Stephen opened it, I immediately said, “Ohh! That’s easy.”

Only it’s not. The two words are fairly common but they don’t really belong together. So this weekend I’ll have a couple glasses of wine and think it over. So that means I’ve got nothing for today. Last night I wrote a devotional for the women’s blog my church has. And honestly, I’m fresh out of words. So I’d like to share it with you. Enjoy!

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Have you ever felt like God thinks you’re an idiot? Well, maybe not an idiot. God is much too kind to think that. But He does realize that sometimes we are just too thick headed to “get” something the first go round. So He tells you again. And again. And all of a sudden it seems like the same verse keeps showing up all around you. You know what I mean?

I recently went to a one week class on Ecclesiastes. Man, what a powerful class! (I may or may not be biased because I know was raised by the teacher… but that’s neither here nor there.) Few of us are familiar with this book, it’s not one of those feel good reads. I’d bet that the majority of us only know Ecclesiastes because of the beginning portion of chapter three. “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under Heaven–” But y’all, that’s not it! If you listen really closely you can hear Solomon screaming at  you, “But wait! There’s more!”

So on I went to the first week of Monday night Bible Study. We’d chosen a Laurie Cole lesson. Guess what it was about? Ecclesiastes.  

Apparently God wanted me to study Ecclesiastes. I don’t think He is only interested in driving home the lesson in seasons, though. Come on, we’re in Houston. Don’t we always say that we don’t have seasons in Houston?? (Ha.Ha.) I think He’d like me to specifically learn a bit about contentment.

Contentment is a huge struggle for women. We are planners – always looking toward the next thing. What’s next? What can be better? Where am I lacking? I don’t know about you but this is a major issue for me. I can’t quite figure out how to rest in the knowledge that God has me right where He wants me. Instead I sit around thinking about my boring shoes, small paycheck, ugly kitchen, dated wardrobe,  etc. etc. etc! But why don’t I just live my life? Why am I never satisfied with what I’ve got? I’m always wanting something else.

A long while back I bought a can of asparagus tips. This intrigued me. I love fresh, grilled asparagus but I couldn’t imagine what canned tips would taste like. I thought I’d do some research and see if there was a tasty way to prepare these. So I bought the can and brought it home. A couple weeks ago I cleaned out my pantry. There in the back was the can of asparagus tips. And what do you know, it was expired. Canned goods are known for having a long shelf life… so it really scares me think about how long ago I bought those. And why did they go bad? Because every time I was menu planning I looked at the can and thought, “Nah, I’d rather have green beans this week.”

I started off excited about the possibility. But soon afterwards, I was not satisfied with what I had. I longed for something different. Maybe asparagus tips are gross and God was saving me from aluminum flavored veggies. But more likely, He was trying to teach me something.

“Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.” – Ecclesiastes 11:5

The lesson here? Stop trying to pass God up! You don’t know His plan. He’s got you right where He wants you and HE will lead you where to go. Listen y’all, if God thinks you are in the right place, do you REALLY think you know better? Look around your house. Praise Him for your dirty carpet and your air conditioning bill and your clunker in the garage. And now get up off the couch and go figure out what to do with those asparagus tips in the back of your pantry!

*If you’re interested in the one class Ecclesiastes study, you can click here. Scroll down. You’ll see a link to the handout, notes, and the audio.