“Thirteen artichokes on one plant, pretty amazing!” I thought as I looked down on the plant my deceased wife had planted a couple of years before. Mumbling to myself, I said, “I think I will post a picture of this on Facebook, maybe tease all those gardening friends of mine.” Here is a guy with no green thumb, who has the best artichoke plant around.
When I posted the picture, I got all the reactions I would have thought. Friends were admiring and some were envious. About the same time, I received a friend request from a person I did not know. It was a woman and she lived in Georgia. I normally ignore such requests but this one seemed harmless enough, so I accepted. A little while later, she was commenting on my artichoke post and asking me, of all people, about growing them. Of course, I had no idea about that. But she also asked how to cook them. Well to this I could give a simple answer, “Steam them and serve with vegenaise.” Little did I know from that post and a few comments, my life would change forever!
You know what I never believed in my lost years? That God has a plan for all of us. And not just any plan but a perfect one. I have quoted this before, but it is one of my favorite verses, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11). Our problem is that we think so small that our plans tend to limit what God wants to do in our lives.
Many times, when a door closes on one part of our lives we tend to believe life is over. This is true when a spouse passes away. All the plans made as a couple are gone and the idea of facing life’s challenges alone become pretty daunting.
I faced that at the beginning of 2015. My wife of 26 years had just passed away. My fledgling Christian faith, my sobriety and very foundation was shaken. I could find no better plan than to keep putting one foot in front of the other. I was shaken so badly that I could not find my voice in prayer. It was all gone.
But the amazing thing is that God’s plan for my life was working even then. He sends people to pull that closed-door open just a bit. In my case, a pastor who saw my struggle and knew just what I needed. He offered me a share in his Wednesday night prayer meeting ministry. A slit of light, in a very dark place. Our job, my job was to accept and turn to that light. Because when we open ourselves even a little bit to God’s light the darkness around us begins to flee. Mine did.
Soon I found that He was calling me in ways I would have never dreamed or accepted during my life before. A call to testify and speak to churches. A call for be part of and eventually lead in an amazing recovery program. A call to be the speaker at a Revelation seminar. So many more things that by the end of 2016 I prayerfully decided to retire from my lifetime career to follow His plan for a ministry in bringing those who are lost to the light.
My problem was even in all this, I was still trying to limit God. I had my plan and I was ready to do it my way. Happily, for me, “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.” (Psalm 145:8) He had a plan so much larger and as it does so many times it meant I needed to take a leap of faith.
You see, those few comments about artichokes led to volumes of texts, to hours on the phone, to meeting and knowing we had been led to one another in that bigger plan. RuthAnn and I were married last December then came a move from the west coast to the east. A leap of faith for both of us!
I wish I could end this with the claim that “Now I know all God’s plan for my life,” I don’t. But I have come to realize that it is when we surrender our plans and our will to God that we truly start living His. Each day I need to remind myself, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life that I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) It is really a no brainer, submit my will and plans to the one who already died to guarantee the ultimate plan for my life is to live eternally with Him, I can’t go wrong with that and neither can you.
Blessings John
8/21/17
The artichoke man takes the leap of faith..
