“So I had been driving for hours, I was tired and hungry, and well, I must have been day dreaming because I missed my exit. I then proceeded to beat myself up for a while afterwards. What were you thinking? What’s wrong with you? Aren’t you tired enough! I thought to myself.”

As I listened to the priest’s words I nodded my head sympathetically. Been there, done that!

He then continued, “About a mile and a half after my exit I came across a car accident. The still spinning wheels of the vehicle made it evident the accident had just taken place. The woman was unconscious and after finding there was nothing else I could do, I prayed and made the sign of the cross over her just as the medics approached the accident.”

The priest explained that through a sequence of events and acquaintances, he was later phoned by the woman’s family. “As they questioned their loved one’s last moments alive I was able to assure them of their daughter’s state of unconsciousness and that she didn’t suffer. I was blessed to have been able to console her family members in their time of grief. God was using me and He knew exactly when and where I had to be placed in order to be used.”

This is the story of our life. It’s anything but predictable.

I’ve stumbled through my whole life. I’ve never really known where I’m going or how things will turn out. More often than not I pray for God’s will… but then I get frustrated with myself or others when things don’t go the way I think they should. Whose “will” am I really trusting in and praying for then?

If I’m honest with myself, I would say I experience this frustration because of a lack of faith. I mean, isn’t that what faith is? Trusting that there is a God that cares for us and knows best even when we can’t understand or control our circumstances? I pray every day for God to use me and though I feel monotonous at times, the truth is as long as I am striving to know and love Him daily He will.

We often have this false idea that we’re in control. As humans all we can do is strive to stay close to Him and prepare ourselves the best we can. If you have a test, you study the best you can for it, but there is no guarantee you will pass. You can practice over and over your sport and be great, but come tryouts for your school you can’t control the talent of those you are competing against.

My point isn’t that we should give up or not try to succeed but rather we need to accept and trust the outcome. We’re called to glorify God in many ways and therefore do everything to the best of our ability and often we’ll thrive, but what about when we don’t? At the end of the day are we okay with His methods not being ours?

Realistically our mission isn’t to change others or to be the big scorer in any game. It’s to serve up the assist to God. To simply be open and willing to act when called. Like the priest, we may find that our plans gone wrong are really God’s better plans going right. Because of that he was able to be more of a blessing than he could have ever imagined.

If I could leave you with one question it would be this… Ultimately is there any place you would rather be than where God wants you?