Luke 13:10-11,  "Now Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself." Jeremiah 29:11,  "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Think

"My life does not look like the brochure in my head." Everyone has an idea of how their life will go. We make plans for the future and envision what's ahead. But what happens when we get "there" and it doesn't look like what we expected? It's easy in those moments to look around, throw up our hands, and sarcastically say, "Well, that's just great. Now what?" We may look at a laundry list of mistakes we've made and convince ourselves that we missed out on what God had planned for us. But no matter where we are in life, whether it looks like what we expected or not, God loves us and wants us to get the most out of it. It's often just a matter of perspective. Rather than looking around at your life and saying, "Well, that's just great. Now what?" begin to say, "God, you are great! What now?" And begin to see how much he loves you and wants to use you right where you are.

Act

Write down all the things you expected life to be in your mental brochure. Now tear it up and say out loud, "God, create a new brochure in my head. I trust that your plan is better than what I can see!"

Pray

Lord, help me remember that your plans for my life are great, no matter what I expected. Help me to rely on your promise that you will never leave me or forsake me. And give me the perspective that you want me to have through every situation. Amen.