For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.
– Jeremiah 29:11 (NRSV)
My life is not my own.
I was reminded of this on Friday as another hectic week came to a close, this one with a surprise, socially-distanced 86th birthday lunch for my mother.
Between care giving for her, a wife recovering from rotator cuff surgery, a pinched nerve in my back, two dogs, a cat and a job, that realization once again became top-of-mind for me.
So much so that I was tempted to feel sorry for myself.
When did I lose control?
It was then that I remembered two very important things …
- I am extremely fortunate and extremely blessed. Not rich, but certainly not poor. A roof over my head. Food on the table. A fulfilling job. A family I love and that loves me. And no COVID-19.
- I serve a loving God, who has plans for me. My life is not my own. Never was. It belongs to the one who created me. Who put me on this earth to serve others, after the example of Jesus’ service to others.
God is in control, not me.
And in these trying times, that gives me hope for the future.
First Reflections 