To Give Hope

"For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, 'Plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." ~Jeremiah 29:11(NLT)
In the past I've loved this verse, but up until today I never fully believed it. I always thought, "Oh that's cool! God knows what He's doing!" However, today I realized that not only do I need to think that, I need to believe it.
I can come up with all the plans, and dreams, and goals, and desires, that I want but unless they are what God wants for me, and in the proper time frame then all those things won't come to pass. I'm not saying that it's wrong to plan, and dream, and set goals for ourselves - that's actually a very good thing to do, that way we stay active and have a desire to do something. What I think this verse is actually saying is that God has something for each of us that goes beyond our wildest dream, and our farthest goal. Just because something doesn't go EXACTLY like we had wanted doesn't mean that everything in life is wrong, it just means that God is doing some readjusting, and refining and when He is done we will look back and say, "WOW!"
That's the amazing thing about the hope that we have in Christ, He is in control, and He has a plan for each one of us.

Molding a Masterpiece

Master Potter, why do You labor all day,
Giving such effort to rough, worthless pieces of clay?
Why such feeling in Your hands?
Why such care in every touch?
Why all the struggle?
Your creation is nothing but dust.

I'm molding a masterpiece,
A work of great beauty.
I'm molding a masterpiece;
My labor's not done.
A trophy, a treasure
Of worth beyond measure
I'm molding a masterpiece,
A masterpiece of love.

~Ron Hamilton