Leaving Room For God’s Ways

Pictures filled my social media pages of friends who captured the northern lights here in West Michigan. Our family has been on the search, but we always seem to miss the most opportune times. We heard the lights were going strong once again, so we said, “Okay, TONIGHT we are going to stay up late!” So we did.

That evening at supper, we were reading a devotional about telling God EXACTLY what we want and need, not leaving room for him to give us something bigger and better. What if God wants to surprise us with something more amazing than what we could’ve imagined?

While putting Mazy to bed, we told her we’d wake her up if we saw them! As we planned as if it were going to happen, Mazy humbly commented, “But even if we don’t see them, that means God has something even more spectacular in mind!”

You’re right, sista! I’d love to say we saw the most spectacular, calendar-worthy display of the northern lights that night, but we didn’t. And you know what? God is still so much bigger and better than any northern lights display. Mazy got it. I had it all planned out in my head how the night would go and Dan even drove north twice to see if we were missing something, but God had a different idea.

Isn’t that how often life goes too? We think we know what’s “best” for us and so we beg and beg God. But sometimes his ideas are bigger and more “spectacular” (as Mazy says) than what ours are! This is the joy of living in Christ. Every day we get to wake up and see what he has in store for us. We can lay out our best plans, but we need to leave room for God to do even bigger and better things.

And maybe our day to see the northern lights is still coming…