So God, Here's My Plan

By Melinda Sharp

"Why can't God do things the way we plan?"

As you walk through some of the toughest challenges that life seems to throw at you, do you find yourself on one emotional rollercoaster ride after another? Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?

Take a minute to think on these statements and see if you identify with any of them:

Why do things always seem to happen to me? It really is all about meisn't it? I'm not judging you; I just think you're wrong! I just can't ever deal with that because it hurts too much.

If these words seem like your own, you are in good company, my friend.

Join a regular woman who shares her many faults and failures to find out why God must be in control.

Learn how to fight the enemy who sets out daily to destroy your peace and joy. Most of all breathe a huge sigh of relief that you are not alone.

There is amazing grace to living life every day, safely in the arms of a loving God who really does have a good plan for your life.

I have read these writings and sometimes they would arrive with comfort, sometimes with a sting, and sometimes humor. But one thing is certain, they always touched my heart. Joan Neal

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 6, 2012
• ISBN: 9781449741112

Melinda Sharp

Melinda Sharp is a writer, registered nurse, and a co-owner and operator of a small business with her husband, Mark. She and her husband share a home with their old loving pets, Leo and Sampson.

Book preview

Letter to the Trinity

Dear Father, Son, & Holy Spirit,

I am sending you this letter to see if you would consider me for the position of number four in the Trinity? I’m sure you all will be pleased with my contributions once you give me a chance. Now you may be surprised by my request, but I really feel I can add something to the group. Usually I leave most things up to all of you, but lately I have found your response time to be, shall we say, lacking for better words, a bit slow. I’m not trying to complain, I just want to help you out!

So, I have decided to come boldly before the throne and let you know what a real asset I can be. I’ve invested a lot of time studying others and at times it may seem as if I’m judging them, but really it’s just that I know the difference between right and wrong and clearly they are in the wrong from my viewpoint. So if it appears that I’m judging them, it really speaks more of my exquisite discerning spirit. I like to see it as having excellent decision making skills. Thanks to the abundance of wisdom you have bestowed upon me, I really see things so clearly now. I rarely see a gray area (well maybe at the hairline). I now see things in black and white. With such insight, I believe I can help expedite a few processes. For example, in the rule of vengeance is mine says You, I think with a firmer outline of how that will play out would be useful. I would love to see into the future to ensure that some people get their just punishment. For the issue of time heals all wounds, well, sometimes time seems to stand still when you are hurting. Or worse yet, it feels as if time actually goes backwards and I know you haven’t made that happen since Joshua’s battle in the Old Testament. Perhaps we could tweak that with a little fast forward magic so I could see better days ahead now. Pain seems to bring out some pretty ugly things Lord and I know you always end up using it for our good but if you could just stop those hurting days wouldn’t I be better off? I think so. And I must say bravo to the eye for an eye decision. This one is the one that I can really sink my teeth into. I feel this one applies to all who have ever wronged me. I think that if you would allow me see this one in action it just might kill two birds with one stone, seeing them in pain will surely cut mine into.

Now I know I am far from perfect. In fact, I’ve made some mistakes along the way and I’m glad that you have shown me the error of my ways. I honestly believe they will help me keep my pride in check because to tell you the truth it really wasn’t that much of a problem to begin with. But I digress. I think my errors will give me a better understanding of how to help you all deal with these people. Please excuse the constant blinking and rubbing of my eyes. I believe I have a telephone pole splinter still in there and it is such a bother at times!

So back to why I believe you need my input… I am organized and I know when things should be done. Lord, just ask anyone who has ever worked with me and they will let you know I’m a stickler for the rules. I have developed a honed eye for treachery and deceit. If one cannot abide by the rules than they must suffer the consequences. I know that’s a little harsh but I recall a time or two when you had enough of how your children were behaving and you wiped them off of the face of the earth. So with that in mind, I think we are really on the same page. I’ve had to suffer the consequences of my own actions and most of the time it taught me a lesson. I believe if we have more governing of the rules, put peoples feet to the fire so to speak, they would realize that accountability is not an option but a demand.

I think this process of changing people just takes too long. Some people will tell you it can take an entire lifetime! Come on Lord, there has got to be a better answer than that. Can’t you perform some miracle to fix me faster so that I can tell others just what their problems are? I know I could give a few people a list of their most glaring problem areas to work on and once they did their job we could really get some kingdom work accomplished. I understand that with keeping the stars in line and the seas at bay you could use a little reminder at times of what needs to be done to keep the ball rolling. You know like a little spiritual post-it note of a few miracles you could perform to round out the week.

Apparently, reading your word is also a necessary part of this change process which quite frankly is a joke. You know as well as I do that most people only swipe the dust off of the Good Book when they have company coming for dinner. So to focus on those problem areas, how about a microchip like Bible GPS that would play every thirty minutes or so to remind us of what your word says about these ugly areas. You know spiritual fitness at its best! There must be some way to get the truth into these people because leaving them in charge of picking up the Good Book to read themselves just doesn’t seem to work.

I’m sure you see just how much of an impact I could make with a few changes to your plan. I’m hoping you will come around to my way of thinking and let me have a go at this job. I think it really could be the start of something… Let me know soon, as I am preparing lists and graphs to really get my point across to the three of you. Can’t wait for your reply!

Your Loving Daughter

God’s Reply:

READ JOB! So tell me if you know where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me if you understand. I AM God and you are not. The position is complete with the three of us, but your letter did make us all laugh and love you even more you silly girl. How many times have you tried to do things on your own and failed? How many times have you cried out to me to fix what you have made a mess of? Remember all those times that I carried you when you were unable to stand. I love you far too much to ever allow you to help me rule the world. Believe me. You have more than enough on your plate just managing to hold your footing on the firm foundation I so lovingly laid beneath your feet. Jesus’s blood paid the perfect price. So have faith in us and trust in me! I will fill you each day with my Holy Spirit if only you would ask me. Now if you really want to do something, let’s work on that telephone pole in your eye before you kill someone swinging it around like that.

Love,

The Trinity

Do you want to Get Well?

Crowds of sick people – blind, lame or paralyzed – lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew how long he had been ill, he asked him, Would you like to get well? John 4: 3-6 New Living Translation

38 Years! 38 Years! 38 YEARS! I skimmed that number when I first read this scripture and then I realized it should be outlined, highlighted, and circled. 38 years! If he had two more years to waste, he would have in the amount of time the Israelites wondered in the desert. This guy was sick. He kept company with other sick people.

Take a moment to picture everyday for 38 years doing the same thing. Waiting for someone to come along and get you to the pool. Every day you wait. And while you wait, you lie there listening to the many people around you complain. If these people were helping and encouraging one another I don’t believe our friend would have been in the same spot for 38 years. I think it’s a pretty safe bet that he was surrounded by negative, grumbling, pitiful people. Where you are sad, sick, and angry and hurting the last type of person you want to see, much less spend any time with is someone who is happy. You avoid being around those people like they are the ones with the plague.

Do not misunderstand what I am about to say. Yes, some people are legitimately ill with debilitating, chronic illnesses. But even in that, they have a choice. They can choose to be bitter and angry about their problem or they can look for something positive to focus on.

I have a friend who has a long list of physical conditions that would bring most people to their knees begging for relief from the pain. She does not do it, will not do it. She is one of the most positive, encouraging people I know and if she had not confided in me one day, I would still be clueless over the daily pain she endures. She doesn’t walk around with her face twisted in a grimace or refuse to get up because of her pain. She moves in spite of it. She accepts it as something she must deal with and she takes care of herself and leaves the rest to God. She does what she can do and what she can’t do she leaves in God’s loving hands. From our relationship, I know she would not have lain 38 years waiting for someone to slip her into the pool. If she had to wiggle, drag, or roll herself, she would get to that water one way or another. Every time I want to complain about a headache or an aching back, I stop and thank God that this is all it is and I do not suffer each day like my friend has.

It brings me to a place of choices. We all have a choice to make every day. We can choose to be well or be sick. I’m not talking about physical wellness, but emotional wellness. Jesus saw light years beyond this man’s physical affliction. He saw the man’s innermost thoughts. He knew of the endless days of whining and complaining. He knew that self-pity was this man’s constant companion. So, He asked him what many would have thought was a foolish question. He’s been lame for 38 years Jesus; of course he wants to get well. But this is no foolish question. He asks because obviously our friend must have received some secondary gain from being ill.

Ever notice that sick, sad, miserable people find each other? They share their pain and complaints with an almost frenzied state to see who is really worse off? Plus, people will not stick around these people for too long because it is depressing. It is also a dangerous place for you to be. If you have ever spent any length of time with a negative person, pay close attention to how you feel by being with them. The sky is most definitely darker and the day is not an as joyous as it may have been. They have infected you with their negativity and it is contagious.

No wonder Jesus asked him this question. He didn’t give the man pity because he already had more than his share of it. He asked him to really look inside and decide if he wanted to give another 38 years to Satan? Do you want to live here while life passes you by? Does he dare risk letting this man heal him?

Jesus listens to the guys reply. I can’t sir, for I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I’m trying to get there, someone else always gets in ahead of me. It’s so difficult to break free from our set behaviors isn’t it? He’s been complaining and blaming someone else for 38 years and whenever he is asked about it, he is quick to shift the blame to the other party. I’ve done this a time or two and found out the hard way that sooner or later the problem comes back to me. I can only hide from the truth for so long. I must come face to face with the facts. I have a choice to make and it’s a very important one. I can choose to be powerful or pitiful. I can tell you I have made both choices in my life and being powerful always felt a hundred times better. But there were those days when self pity fit like a glove and I fooled myself into thinking that I had every right to feel sorry for myself. So I indulged in my little pity party. The problem was that every time I attended this party it was one that locked me in the cell and kept me for days, weeks, sometimes months. Pity can be a cruel partner.

I love that Jesus has no place for pity in His army. He doesn’t let the man continue to whine. He issues a bold statement. Stand up, pick up your sleeping mat and walk! This is no pleading, whimpering Lord who is begging you to see His point of view. He’s heard