Finally, we had finished 90% of all the requirements to open up our home for foster care. The house search was continually causing us to come up empty handed. We were finally at a place I had been so impatient to get to. Yet, here I was with a stubborn attitude. Any time I feel this way, my first instinct is to dig my feet in the ground to halt going forward.
This is not where I wanted to be at this stage in the game. I know what God had told me but deep down, I still wanted this to all take place in the order I felt most comfortable with.
Find the house. Move in. Start fostering.
Trying to Stall
The foster agency would call (numerous times) and ask to schedule the last walk through and I would immediately have a reason to tell them.
“Well, we are probably buying a fixer upper that needs A LOT of work so no need to get open yet because then we will have to just put it on hold.” (which was true but that house eventually fell through)
OR
“You know, it is baseball season, just not a good time with my husband gone every evening.” (again, true)
It all boils down to the fact that…… I wanted it my way!
Beyond the brattiness, I knew where I needed to go. I just didn’t want to nor did I want to do it right in that moment.
My Dog Scout
I was a lot like my labrador retriever when it’s time for him to go into his crate. He will sit and look at me in defiance. He knows exactly what I mean, what he is suppose to do, and where he is suppose to go. However, all I get is “The look.” I proceed to grab his collar to lead him in the right direction.
What does he do?
Digs those paws into the ground which causes me to have to man handle this 100 lb horse of a dog. However, if I put a treat in his crate, he hops right in. How easily he goes depends on what he sees. If he sees a treat, bam, he’s in! If he doesn’t, the struggle is real.
Do you see the similarity?
What We See Vs. What God Has Planned
What I saw was not what I had hoped for. I had a vision in my mind of how I wanted it to go. Because I could not see past that, I dug my feet into the ground to try to hold up what I knew ultimately was going to happen. God would get me there one way or another. Just like my dog is going to get in his crate with or with out a treat. How easily he gets in, that is up to him. Same with us.
God’s plan for us was laid before the foundation of the world.
Ephesians 1:5 (MSG) “Long before He laid down earth’s foundations, He had us in mind.”
Don’t let a vision you have in your mind stall you from moving into the plan God has for your life. God will get you there whether he has to man handle you like I do my dog or throw you into the belly of a whale like Jonah. We can try to hold up God’s plan but ultimately the victory is His.
Love you friends
