How often are we so concerned with what is to come? How often can this concern become a distraction? We all have hopes and dreams for the future of our lives, and we all have something inside of us that makes us want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. But how often do we find ourselves so caught up in what we hope will one day come that we miss out on where we are right now? Now, this is not me saying the dreams that you have are wrong. They very well may be good and can be used to glorify God in great ways one day. But what if I told you the obsession you have with your dream, and the time you are putting in on chasing your dream has become something that is keeping you from where God has called you to at this very moment in your life?
I believe the reason we become so concerned with the future of ourselves is that we are not content with where God has placed us. It can become very easy to become discontent with God’s placing of us when where we are is not ideal and not what we have in mind. In these times of discontentment, God calls you to be obedient. It can be very easy for us as believers to try and avoid the here and now and focus in on what’s ahead. Often times when this occurs we become disobedient to what God has called us to, where God has called us to, and to who God has called us to. Our disobedience to the here and now is our saying to God “The plan I have for myself is better than the plan you have for me.”
In the past month or so I was reading about the process of how diamonds are made. It was fascinating to see the process or the “recipe” of how diamonds are formed. In the article that I read it summed the complex process up into a few steps.
1. Bury carbon dioxide 100 miles into Earth.
2. Heat to about 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Squeeze under pressure of 725,000 pounds per square inch.
4. Quickly rush towards Earth’s surface to cool.
When I read this, it made me realize why diamonds are so costly. The process that a diamond goes through is not an easy one, and it takes an extended amount of time. On the other hand, there are what’s called synthetic diamonds. These are diamonds that are not natural diamonds and are made in a lab by human hands and machines. The process that the synthetic diamond goes through is much less complicated, and time-consuming making it much cheaper than a natural diamond. What I realized is that much like natural diamonds the process that God allows us to go through in life may at times be complicated, hard, and time-consuming, but the result and the finished product is valuable. While on the other hand when we try to create plans for our own life and cheat the process God is allowing us to go through, much like the synthetic diamonds the end result will not be as valuable and rare because it has been created by man and not by God. God has called each and everyone one of us to different places in life. Where we are called to and placed by God is not optional, but it is given to us by God to serve Him. When we do not trust and obey the plan God has for us, we can miss out on the people that God will bring us to and miss out on showing them the love of Christ. So I ask the question are you trusting where God has you? Or are you concerned with what is to come? God has uniquely created you to be uniquely placed where He has you. Are you trusting the process God has you in or are you attempting to make a plan on your own? Maybe, just maybe God wants to use you to change the world right where you are at.