When the clouds roll in

My view has changed. A view that only moments ago was a blue sky with bright sun rays breaking through, with birds squawking as they zoom overhead, and people laughing as the boisterous waves crash upon the shore. That view is now diminished by the rains that pour down as I look on beneath a beachside shelter, shared with others eagerly escaping the miniature tropical storm. The rains act like they don't want to cease, but I sit waiting in anticipation of the sun reappearing through the dark and stormy clouds. This sudden and unwelcome change reminds me how quickly our circumstances can change. 

Part of me wants to be disappointed. This was the one outing that I insisted on, going to the beach. Part of me wants to be frustrated. I just made an hour long car trip to make it here just in time for the storm clouds to roll in. Part of me wants to be discouraged and go home. But what if the sun breaks through again just enough for me to go leaping into the salty waves? I want to hold our for that chance. After all, how quickly circumstances can change! 

How often we start out for a life of adventure, full of promise, and surrounded by beauty, only to find disappointment, frustration, and discouragement. We longed for our life to be so much different than it turned out to be. We anticipated things to play out by a different time line, and of course always in our favor. But it doesn't always happen that way. Some times it doesn't happen the way we anticipated and it doesn't follow our time line. Some times it doesn't seem to work out in our favor. We may feel as if things have taken a turn for the worst, but how quickly circumstances can change. 

I was reminded today "a man plans his path, but God determines his steps." Our plans change. We change our minds, we want we want something else, or life changes our plans for us, but God will still direct our steps. Rather than living each day in pursuit of our plan, trust God for your next step. His plan never changes. While it may seem life has taken a wrong turn, God still knows your next step. Follow Him on the dreary days that you hoped would be full of sunshine. Hold out with anticipation that the circumstances will change and trust that God will help you navigate even the darkest of paths. 

That's all for now. The sun is still hiding and the rain is still trickling down, but I am going to run through the storm to the waves that I traveled to see. I will may not be able to change the circumstances surrounding me, but I can enjoy the day while it is today.