Thursday, August 28, 2008
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God Pulled a Switcheroo on Me
I moved back to New Jersey thinking that I would pursue another degree and change my career. I had it all planned out: move home, save money by not paying rent, apply for schools, study my butt off, move out as soon as I'm done.
Now, instead I find myself postponing school, getting more involved in church, building great relationships with fellow church members, and seeking healing and counseling for issues I wasn't even aware of one year ago.
I kind of feel like God pulled a "bait & switch" on me! I thought the only reason to return to New Jersey was to pursue school, but now I see that it was to be a part of this community, meet these people, and pursue God's plan to restore and heal me. School may not even be in the picture anymore! But I'm happy and at peace with how things are going now.
When was the last time God did a switcheroo on your plans? Were you happier in the long run?
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Comments (17)
3 or 4 months ago, I thought I was going to be in Austin for atleast another year while I finished up school. Instead, God provided a way for me to finish my degree through correspondence and move up to DFW, where my family and girlfriend live.
Not what I had planned, but so much better!
I thought I was going to get my degree from and live at a tiny private college in Virginia and possibly never be permanently home again. Instead, I'm finishing up online and living at home with my parents. I wanted to run away from a lot of things, but God patiently brought me back to them and has helped me to work through them.
I guess I am disturbed by the "bait and switch" label. It implies that God deliberately and intentionally deceives us to get us to move into a place that He wants more, as if being honest with us wasn't possible for Him to be.
I know that I will deceive myself about what I am doing, so that I can justify things that deeper examination might prove to be self-serving (in spite of what it might cost someone else), rebellious to His will or way (such as moving in with a lover you are not married to), etc. I may even have said that what I did was God's will to many, and defended it successfully to my Godly mentors - but that doesn't mean that God had to resort to machinations of deception to get me in line for His will for my best.
I will even admit that I happily moved into a situation that I thought was going to be a long term service for Godly goals, only to find it wasn't all it appeared to be. The different decisions I had to make that followed were growth experiences that I wouldn't trade for the world, now - but at the time I was asking God a lot of teary questions about the rightness of that hardship.
@IMChurchmouse@xanga - I think the "bait and switch" concept has more to do with our perception. God allows us to think something different than what is actually the case at times. He's not deceiving us; we just don't have the full picture yet.
@Pickwick12@xanga - that view I have no problem with, I just wanted to clarify that God doesn't have any desire or need to deceive for any other readers to stumble on with.
@IMChurchmouse@xanga - Interesting that Jeremiah twice accused God of deceit, in Jeremiah 4 and in Jeremiah 20
last summer God really pressed on my heart to go into missions. it freaked me out because i had wanted to be a musician for six years and i thought i had it all figured out.
but at the end of the summer i accepted the call to missions and one day i realized that God was calling me to ireland!
i wisely did not kick or scream and put up a fuss, i just said "okay, God!" and i'm glad i did. i can't wait to be in ireland!
i started graduate school (for a phd) in cincinnati back in 2003, which i had really believed was God's plan (along with marrying a certain person that lived there). however, while the program was going well, a lot of other things didn't and my personal life sort of unraveled. my spiritual life wasn't right either. i believed in faith for some things to happen, since i thought i heard God say they would. unfortunately, they totally didn't, which made me look quite foolish to my family, friends, and enemies, so of course i was angry at God and for a while i couldn't even speak to Him. i blamed him for letting me down and my faith being in vain.
after four years in cincinnati, i just couldn't bear it...i had lost my father, and nothing else was working out, so i moved back home in michigan with the intention of finishing my degree via correspondence and never coming back to cincinnati - ever. the idea of living there any longer was too painful to think about.
i was quite happy in michigan. i got my head straight and processed through the things that occurred in cincinnati and the pain i felt over dreams and such that were unfulfilled. also started talking to God again.
a year later, i was offered a great job that was perfect for my gifts and talents, and would give me invaluable experience in my field. but it required that i move back to cincinnati. at first, i wasn't sure if i was going to do it. however, i prayed about it and felt at peace about it, strangely enough. i've been back here about a week now, and it's been a good experience so far. i'm still not sure why i got called back to cincinnati, but i'm looking forward to what the Lord has for me here.
I was convinced that I was going back home to the DC area after undergrad in Massachusetts. NOPE! God made it blatantly clear that I needed to go to Michigan. Glad I did though, things have been great. Obedience is better than sacrifice.
I wont call it bait and switch...I would say I thought God said this and He didn't. lol
I thought I was moving to Chicago, to finish up my bachelors there...but NOTHING worked out, so I ended up staying here, and I'm finishing my degree next fall. It's SOOO meant for me to stay here in Cleveland, I'm glad I didn't go to Chicago.
i was in a really bad relationship the beginning part of this year. after university let out for summer, the two of us took a break from talking and trying to reconcile. i thought in my heart that i would be happiest if we reconciled and worked things out between us, either amiciably or romantically. little did i realize that i would be happiest if we both cut off ties from each other perminately. although it sounds so harsh and at the time i was upset, i realize what God was trying to show me. When the relationship was good, there was a lot that I learned that I needed to add into my life. Although the relationship ended badly, there were some good things that came out of it, such as going to church together a few times a week. Even though my ex put me through a lot, he also showed me some things to be more in touch with our Heavenly Father and the hardships he put me through taught me how to love the people around me more. There are other instances in my life where i know God has put me there for a reason, but this is the most recent!
That's great that that happened! For me, it was at Hume Lake, a Christian camp in California. My life was totally different after that! I realized that even though I was a Christian, my life needed major adjustments. After coming back from camp, things have been much better in my life.
@IMChurchmouse@xanga - @Pickwick12@xanga - the "bait & switch" was supposed to be funny (according to my weird sense of humor). i totally do not think that God deceived me into following his plan! i'm quite at peace with the way things have turned out. if anyone did any "baiting" it was me! i think i deceived myself into thinking that i wanted something and could only have it my way and that God would just have to get on board with that plan. the "switching" was all God, but no trickery involved. just loving patience, wisdom, and kindness
thank you both for your comments and stories though!
@misshibiscus - that's a relief to me =D! I like quirky humor
I believe the Lord works in Ironic ways, you think you know what you want & then the Lord changes things on you. He makes me laugh often.......!!
NJ is a great place, best of luck
mmorpg----------
When He told me to go to Ohio instead of Florida. That was a real bummer. I wanted to live in Florida like you wouldn't believe! But I am very happy here for the time being. As always, He knew what He was doing.
Plus, not long after I moved, Florida got slammed with nasty weather. No floods for me!