Begin With The End In Mind!

"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." (Jeremiah 29:11)

This verse is very special in my household. It is the life verse that we have claimed for our daughter Abigail. When she was barely one year old she was diagnosed with congenital scoliosis due to a malformation of several thoracic vertebrae. At that time the doctors discovered she had a 50 degree left to right curve in her spine. During the ensuing months as we traveled to different specialists multiple options for treatment were considered. Ultimately God lead us to the right person and place at the right time. As Abigail's curve reached over 90 degrees (can you imagine having a right angle in your spine?!) something had to be done. She was now four years old and what happened next could forever alter the course of her life. How do you make a decision like that? You begin with the end in mind.

What we wanted for Abigail had to be based on the end result. If it were based on the immediate recommended steps we would have wanted to shelter our child from such pain. Yet we would have been doing her no favors by keeping her from what was not only necessary but helpful. You see God knows the plans He has for us. If He has a plan then He knows the end from the beginning! According to Him, it is a plan to prosper us and not to harm us. Just because something is hurtful does not mean it is harmful. It is His plan to give us hope and a future. That sounds like a pretty good plan to me! He prospers us according to His will. Our hope is found in Jesus His Son who gives us eternal life.

God has prospered Abigail and continues to do so. She continues to grow happy and healthy. Between surgeries she is a vibrant rambunctious little tom-boy! She plays basketball and mixes it up with the rest of the players on the floor. All you need to do to find her is look for the smallest dribbler on the court! If things get too rough; well let's just say you don't mess with the cub when the mother bear is close by and leave it at that!

Life's experiences are like Abigail's for all of us. Sometimes it is tough and challenging. Circumstances seem to be on top of us and we have difficult choices to make. What do we do? Begin with the end in mind! The end is sure and certain in Jesus Christ! We are all on a journey that is sometimes sunny and at other times overcast but the destination that God provides for all who trust in Him is not in doubt!

"Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 3:12-14)

Begin with the end in mind!
Larry