Trust Him...with ALL your heart

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

I am posting this because I have some friends who were touched by it and I wanted to share it with more of you. I sent this out as the devotional thought part of my e-mail yesterday to my prayer team.

The above verse is one of my life verses. It first came to mean a lot to me when I was laid off from Grace the first time in January of 2003 and God taught me how to truly trust Him - for everything. Through the years since then it has been a verse I treasure in my heart through all the things God asks of me and leads me through. Right now, with all I have on my plate and the upcoming transitions I face, it again is a promise from God that I claim daily.

It's interesting - most translations of this verse, including the popular NIV, at the end read: "...and He will make your paths straight." But I stumbled on the New King James version above a couple years ago and realized that at the heart it is more true. So often I have heard people claim this verse to be saying that as long as they are following God and leaning on Him for direction, He will keep them on a straight path.

This is a great example of how when we read the Bible, we often take a verse to mean something that is just a bit of a stretch, if only because of a word choice by the translators. After now almost 2 quarters of Greek, I have a new appreciation for the Bible in its original form and how it came to be in the English form we read now. There is such a difference in meaning from the original text to our limited English language.

I know that God does not always take me on a "straight" path when I'm fully leaning on and trusting Him. My life is an ongoing testimony to that! There have been a lot of curves, blind intersections, hills, mountains, and dead ends that meant retracing some steps. Yet, I know that God alone is, and has been, in control. He knows where I'm headed and has a plan for my life. Even though it's not always easy, and the route doesn't always make sense to me, as long as I trust Him for direction He will guide me. Even if He only shows me the very next footstep and nothing further, I always know that I am taken care of, loved, and guided by Him. What a promise!

I am currently interviewing for full-time youth ministry positions. I know that God has called me to youth ministry for this next season of my life, however long it may be. Yet I'm not quite sure what the road looks like or where it's headed.

I also met this great person recently who has been blessing me in countless ways I cannot even express in words. He has been there for me to do things that I didn't know I needed or wanted. And it definitely is not what I would have expected this to look like. I'm not sure where that part of my journey is leading either, but I'm sure enjoying the travels.

I wouldn't want my path to be straight. Or smooth. There is so much I would have missed out on and so many experiences I wouldn't have had, all of which God is now using to reach and help others. What an amazing God I serve. I'm so glad He's at the helm - it's scary to think where I would be if He wasn't.

Father, I praise You for the bumps and curves. They are what have made me who I am and they are what have brought me to trust You this much. I love You.