Lesson learned.

“God’s plan isn’t always what you expected, but often more than you could ever hope.” - Pastor Steve Murrell

It’s funny how at the end of every year I look back and review everything that’s happened. Whether it be good or bad. Most of the time my year doesn’t go as planned. And I remember thinking in these situations… “why can’t everything just go according to plan? Let’s stick to the book.”

And then I realized… They are according to a plan. But not mine, His.

As I look back on these happenings though, I’m grateful for the unexpected. One, they keep life a little bit interesting. And two, the Lord teaches me lessons through these.

And even though they may not be fun at the time… It’s my favorite way to learn a lesson. I love it when the Lord allows me to see for myself the rules and lessons we must learn. It always means so much to me when He trusts me enough to give me an insight of what it means to be more like Him.

Like learning faithfulness. Trust. Unconditional love. Compassion. Forgiveness. Peace.

Those are only a few lessons 2011 has brought me.

And though the situations that caused some of them may not be what I planned or expected…. It’s more than I could have hoped they could be. They are a lesson learned.