The Blueprint of My Life

    Recently for my church, I have been teaching the Hudson Taylor story for some of the kids in their classes. It has been an amazing story. I knew the name, but I didn't really know the story until I took some time to read and study it. Hudson Taylor lead an amazing life. He opened the China Inland Mission (now the Overseas Missionary Fellowship), He helped lead Hundreds of Thousands of Chinese people to the Lord, and he not only changed those people's lives, but he influenced hundreds of people's lives as well. People such as: The cricket player - Charles Studd, Missionary to India - Amy Carmichael, Olympic Gold Medalist - Eric Lidell, Twentieth-Century Missionary and Martyr - Jim Elliot, Founder of Bible Study Fellowship - Audrey Wetherell Johnson, as well as International Evangelists - Billy Graham, and Luis Palau.  At the age of 5, sitting at the dinner table, Hudson said "When I grow up, I want to be a missionary to China" But did he know what God was going to do in his life? Of course not! He didn't know that someday, a teenager in a small town of Grants Pass, OR would be teaching about him! He didn't know that when he passed away, people would still be accepting Christ as their personal saviour. He didn't know that because of his testimony, many people would give their lives over to God. No, he didn't know, but God did.

    He was able to make an impact in many people's lives, but he couldn't do it on his own. God had it all planned out. God knew that he would change many people's lives, God knew that he would be using him in a special way. God knew every detail of his life, and He knows every detail of mine too. All Hudson had to do, was say as Isaiah said in Isaiah 6:8

" Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me."

    I don't know what will happen in the future, I don't know whether I will impact many lives, or none, I don't know whether God will use me in a special way, or if I will die in my sleep tonight. But God knows. He has a perfect plan.....a blueprint for my life, and he has it all planned out. All I have to do is say "Here am I; send me" He wants me to trust in Him, serve Him, and follow Him. So often in my life, I lose that trust. I know what I want in my life, and I reach for the stars, I shoot for the goals, I do things my own way. We live in a society that believes "Just do it" or "Have it your way everyday" or "Carpe Diem" (Seize the Day). Of course, I am all for making the most of the time we have, while we have it, but doing it for our own glory? I'm not sure about that!

    There are so many things I would like in my life. I wish I could drive, it can be a big discouragement sometimes not to be able to. I wish I could serve my country in the military, I have a great respect for the men and women who fight our country, and if I could, I would seriously consider it. I wish I could go to college, I graduated out of high school last year, but the timing hasn't been right yet. I wish I could get a job, in order to go to college, I need the money to do so, but the opportunity hasn't quite come up yet. I wish I could have a young lady in my life. I know that's every young man's desire, to have a companion, someone to love, and to cherish, but God hasn't provided the right opportunity yet.

    The list could go on, and on, and I know as humans, we each could make a list of our own wants and desires. For me, some of those things will never happen, some of those things may happen someday, and possibly, some of those things will never happen. But God has a plan for it all. Sometimes we have to put aside all of our wants and desires and say "Here am I; send me" as Isaiah said. Sometimes we have to put aside our wants and desires and say as Jesus said in the Garden "Not my will but thine be done"

    What if Jesus had've changed His mind? What if he would've never come down to the earth? What if he was never born in a manger? What if he had've never died on the cross? I don't know where we would be today! He was willing to give up everything, EVERYTHING to do what God wanted Him to do! He was willing to go wherever God wanted him to go, do whatever God wanted to do, and be the kind of person he wanted Him to be.

    I as well think of a wood maker. What if he wanted to make a wooden chest. He plans it out, gets the wood, cuts the wood, nails the wood, stains the wood, carves the wood, and creates a masterpiece. But what if the wood would've said, No, I want to be a chair, or No, I want to be a bed, or No, I want to be a desk. The creator's plans would not have turned out the way he would have intended it. God says in Isaiah 55:8:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. "

    Our ways are not always going to be God's ways, but Proverbs 3:5-6 says:

" Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In ALL THY WAYS acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

    If we acknowledge God, he will guide us every step of the way, and because He has a perfect plan for our lives, He will show us what He wants in our lives. If we follow Him, serve Him, and long to be the kind of person He wants us to be, We could end up like Hudson Taylor did, and impact thousands of lives. God may allow us to follow our dreams, reach for the stars, and shoot for the goals. And in the end, He will bless us. All we have to do is give our life over to Him.

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Thanks again for reading, I hope it made sense! For me, when I think of it in my head, it comes out differently in words. Let me know what you think too! Have a great evening!

~Daniel~ :)