We have been reading the Old Testament in the morning as a family and actually enjoying much of it together. I am continually amazed at the things the Israelites did during that time. No matter how many times God forgave them, they kept going right back to the type of behavior that caused them problems in the first place. And the biggest thing was how quickly they returned to their bad behaviors. Seems as if the Lord would send a prophet to call them to repentance, they would repent (usually after one of the kings died) and as soon as the prophet was gone, they would go right back to the way they were before he came. It has really made me ponder my own behavior and what I do when things don't go as I planned.
I can't help thinking how often I want things to just work out. I have a plan for the events in my life. A way I want them to be. A time line and expectations for my life. Then, things don't go as planned. Some tragedy strikes. Someone gets sick, someone hurts, something happens to totally destroy my plan A.
Sometimes I have a plan B, or a plan C. Sometimes I can be accepting of the difficulty. But I can also behave much like a child and question my Heavenly Father. I can too often, ask "why me?".
So, in all my Old Testament stories that I am sharing with the kids, one really stood out today. It is the story of Joseph. He knew when he was only 17 years old what he was called to be. He knew that he would stand over his brothers. That he would be a leader to them. At 17, he was given that gift in a dream, and he decided to share it with them and let them know what he knew. His brothers did not take it well. So, this young man who knew what the plan was for him,
was thrown in a pit,
sold into slavery,
served a master,
was thrown in jail for over eight years,
served Pharaoh by preparing the land for famine,
and finally, after all was completed
found himself living the dream that he had seen years before as a boy of 17.
Somehow, in all of that, he never lost the vision of what Heavenly Father had in store for him. The bible never talks about Joseph asking "Why me?" He trusted in the Lord to bring all to pass, and the Lord did.
Somehow, in this life, I need to remember that no matter what happens, the Lord is with me. He knows the plan. Even when I lose the vision and no longer see the way, He still knows what He needs me to be. Whatever life we are living, no matter how different it is than the one we dreamed of, it is still the Lord's plan for us. He knows exactly what He is doing. Even if we have lost the vision, He never has. Faith is not about wanting things to happen in a set way, faith is about wanting what God wants for us.
Face you doubts,
Master your fears,
Stay the course.
When you are not sure that He is there, and that He knows the plan, look back over your life and you will see His hand guiding and directing you throughout all your difficulties and trials. He knows you. He cares for you. He loves you. He really, really is there.
I read your blog through the emails, but I had to come over and thank you for all the encouraging posts that you share. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteOur family struggles enough with reading the Book of Mormon together, I CANNOT imagine trying to do the Old Testament with them. So in awe.
ReplyDeleteI love the Old Testament. It is an amazing book and it makes me sad to see the bad rap it gets sometimes. The more familiar you are with the Old Testament the more all of the rest of the scriptures make sense. There are some deep and profound teachings in the Old Testament that you miss if you don't read it, like the one you shared here. Thank you.
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