and He will give you rest...
God’s time, my time, Nica time.
How many times have I seen God move in His timing and how perfect it is, yet I still try to push my own agenda. I get disappointed and angry when things don’t go my way, only to see things work out more perfectly than I could’ve ever hoped for.
When I was young, I thought I knew when the perfect time to get married was, at least age 30, you know “old”…I found my love way before I had planned and got married at 19. I knew when it was a perfect time to have a baby, I ached to hold my own, but again in His timing I had 2 sons and a daughter. I thought for sure I knew when I should take home the Mrs. North Dakota International crown, however He knew I needed more time to gain the skills I would need to make this most of my year. There have been countless times when the plans I thought were perfect were proven to be so much less than God planned for me.
I find it VERY hard to be patient, to be still and trust that God is in control. I am continually striving and pushing and wanting more; never leaving well enough alone. At its best, this is a great quality, pushing me to exceed far above what I ever dreamed I was capable of. At its worst, it is terrible weakness, where I run in circles spinning my wheels accomplishing nothing and neglecting my family to do things that reap no benefits.
But EVERYTIME I take the time to trust God, ask what He would have me do that day, everything gets done perfectly. Plans for today, plans for the future, plans to meet all the goals I have for myself along with things God has for me that are beyond what I can comprehend in this moment. His timing, His plan is perfect.
When we were on our way to Nicaragua, all the travel had been going very well. We were on our 4th leg of the journey flying right over Managua, but there was a storm and we couldn’t land. The pilot came over the intercom saying he had bad news, we will have to turn the plane around and go back to Fort Lauderdale, FL. I was devasted, how could this be? We only had a few days in Nicaragua and now we would lose at least an entire day. What if we couldn’t get on the next flight and had to wait 2 days, maybe we wouldn’t even get there at all. All MY plans!
Well, our fearless leader (Janelle’s husband Keith) arranged a hotel for us to be able to sleep, eat and shower and got us rebooked on the next flight. Then he brought us to the ocean. I didn’t think we could lose a day in Nicaragua and be able to serve the people there the way I wanted to. I was feeling so frustrated. As we walked up and down the beach I could literally feel weight falling off my shoulders.
God gave our team this gift of a day with nothing to do but walk on the beach, watch the waves of His beautiful ocean crash against the shore, feel the hot sun and marvel at the blue sky. Some of our team knew each other very well, but some of us just met prior to this trip. We needed a day to spend together to get ready to serve together more effectively. I thought I was ready, but I needed this day to be ready to disconnect from the normal stresses of life, to get to know my new friends and to have one more confirmation that God is in control. To let go and know that if we let God work and follow His lead, we will always accomplish more than if we try to do it ourselves.
The next few days were beyond incredible, beyond words. The loving people of Nicaragua, the beauty of the country along with the poverty they experience. Another time concept which is Nica time, you can plan all you want but it happens when it happens. I thought I went there to serve, but what they gave me far outweighed anything that I could’ve given them. Once again God showed me His timing is perfect, He is in control and He loves His people more than I could ever know. I was reminded that I can trust Him with my life and my plans because His timing is perfection.
Sometimes, your timing and God’s align and sometimes they don’t. In those times when my heart breaks in disappointment or anger, I need to remember that day at the ocean and if God is allowing me to feel the loss of my dream it is only because He has a bigger dream for me.
My soul can rest and know that I can trust in His plan. I can give everything I have to give, without fear of failure. In Him there is no failure, only joy, hope and unconditional love.
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 a future and a hope.
Building Strong Leaders,
Jessie Aamodt
Mrs. North Dakota International 2019
How many times have I seen God move in His timing and how perfect it is, yet I still try to push my own agenda. I get disappointed and angry when things don’t go my way, only to see things work out more perfectly than I could’ve ever hoped for.
When I was young, I thought I knew when the perfect time to get married was, at least age 30, you know “old”…I found my love way before I had planned and got married at 19. I knew when it was a perfect time to have a baby, I ached to hold my own, but again in His timing I had 2 sons and a daughter. I thought for sure I knew when I should take home the Mrs. North Dakota International crown, however He knew I needed more time to gain the skills I would need to make this most of my year. There have been countless times when the plans I thought were perfect were proven to be so much less than God planned for me.
I find it VERY hard to be patient, to be still and trust that God is in control. I am continually striving and pushing and wanting more; never leaving well enough alone. At its best, this is a great quality, pushing me to exceed far above what I ever dreamed I was capable of. At its worst, it is terrible weakness, where I run in circles spinning my wheels accomplishing nothing and neglecting my family to do things that reap no benefits.
But EVERYTIME I take the time to trust God, ask what He would have me do that day, everything gets done perfectly. Plans for today, plans for the future, plans to meet all the goals I have for myself along with things God has for me that are beyond what I can comprehend in this moment. His timing, His plan is perfect.
When we were on our way to Nicaragua, all the travel had been going very well. We were on our 4th leg of the journey flying right over Managua, but there was a storm and we couldn’t land. The pilot came over the intercom saying he had bad news, we will have to turn the plane around and go back to Fort Lauderdale, FL. I was devasted, how could this be? We only had a few days in Nicaragua and now we would lose at least an entire day. What if we couldn’t get on the next flight and had to wait 2 days, maybe we wouldn’t even get there at all. All MY plans!
Well, our fearless leader (Janelle’s husband Keith) arranged a hotel for us to be able to sleep, eat and shower and got us rebooked on the next flight. Then he brought us to the ocean. I didn’t think we could lose a day in Nicaragua and be able to serve the people there the way I wanted to. I was feeling so frustrated. As we walked up and down the beach I could literally feel weight falling off my shoulders.
God gave our team this gift of a day with nothing to do but walk on the beach, watch the waves of His beautiful ocean crash against the shore, feel the hot sun and marvel at the blue sky. Some of our team knew each other very well, but some of us just met prior to this trip. We needed a day to spend together to get ready to serve together more effectively. I thought I was ready, but I needed this day to be ready to disconnect from the normal stresses of life, to get to know my new friends and to have one more confirmation that God is in control. To let go and know that if we let God work and follow His lead, we will always accomplish more than if we try to do it ourselves.
The next few days were beyond incredible, beyond words. The loving people of Nicaragua, the beauty of the country along with the poverty they experience. Another time concept which is Nica time, you can plan all you want but it happens when it happens. I thought I went there to serve, but what they gave me far outweighed anything that I could’ve given them. Once again God showed me His timing is perfect, He is in control and He loves His people more than I could ever know. I was reminded that I can trust Him with my life and my plans because His timing is perfection.
Sometimes, your timing and God’s align and sometimes they don’t. In those times when my heart breaks in disappointment or anger, I need to remember that day at the ocean and if God is allowing me to feel the loss of my dream it is only because He has a bigger dream for me.
My soul can rest and know that I can trust in His plan. I can give everything I have to give, without fear of failure. In Him there is no failure, only joy, hope and unconditional love.
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 a future and a hope.
Building Strong Leaders,
Jessie Aamodt
Mrs. North Dakota International 2019
