Anybody else a planner?

I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.  Jeremiah 29:11

I love this verse!  Did I get it at an earlier age?  Nope.  Wish I would have?  Yes!  Do I wish on days now that I would immediately claim this verse rather than think I know what's best? Yes!  Anybody with me?

It's spring and it's ball season for my nephews.  The oldest is Vaughn and he is in his senior year with so many decisions to be made and so many questions in his head that are unanswered for him and we all just want to help him.  You see it on his sweet face at times the beginning of worry lines about will this school call, is this school going to really be here, or am I going to have to go somewhere not even on my radar list?  All the questions and you just want to tell him it's okay, but you remember the feeling.  Think back to your senior year and all the questions.  All the uneasiness of leaving the familiar rooms, teachers, and friends and we haven't even gotten to leaving home.  (I didn't do the last one)  Anyway, a lot for anyone to take in, but in someways at 18 we think we knew it all...Remember, moms you did too!?  Now you know that you didn't and you want to tell your kids that, but they don't want to hear it anymore than you did!

I remember signing up to major in political science.  I loved politics and thought I wanted to be the first female president.  Now this is so funny to me, because I still believe strongly in what I believe, but I would never want to be a politician!  Nobody stands firm anymore and its all about if you don't believe the way I believe then I'm bringing you down!  Well, I know I would have become a crying woman with the constant attacks from the other side and even your own side and all to win!  Anyway, then I went into geology.  Still not me!  Then it was education and well I love kids, but not that much!  Finally, I settled into business.  I look at it now and do you know that my favorite classes and the ones I did the best in were religion?  Yes, God knew then He had a plan, but I didn't yet.  So I graduated with a business degree.  Okay, maybe some of you knew all along your calling on your life.  Good for you, but I don't think the majority of people know at 18 what they want to do for the rest of their life and it's okay to say so!  Admit it!

I look at Vaughn and want to say relax and remember God gave you a gift.  A gift that He is going to provide the right way for you to use your gift.  Vaughn is a gifted athlete and hopefully his dreams of Professional Baseball will come true, but if they don't God still has a plan!  A plan that I just want to tell Vaughn trust Him with all your heart.  Vaughn it will work out.  He knows your path!  Trust Him!  Ask yourself Vaughn, do you feel peace with your choices?  Do you see less obstacles along a certain path?  Trust God and follow Him!  We never go anywhere that God does not go before us and I just want at this particular time in Vaughn's life to help him grasp this scripture!  It is so much easier to be okay in life when we know that God leads us that He never sends us anywhere without going before us!  He gives us the strength we need, so we just must believe the Words He gives us!  

I love to hear Vaughn say DeDe and it's like I've gone back in time to that place when he was three, four, five and he knew his DeDe was someone that  without a doubt he could trust and I believe he still knows it!  I want to help Vaughn learn that as much as he knows his mom and dad, brothers, grandparents, and his DeDe love him God loves him more!  I want to say this goes for all my nephews and nieces believe all of this and trust!  I'm writing this more to Vaughn because he is at this place in his life, but you will all be here soon.  It gets here so quickly, so these words are for you too!

Life would have been so much easier, if I had known all of this for myself at the time I was a senior in high school.  Oh, we all have to learn it for ourselves and in God's timing, but it's okay to share these truths with our young people that we treasure so much!  Trust and believe God knows the way!  Truly He does give us a peace that we just don't understand when we finally truly believe He plans our paths and it is so much better than the one we try to plan.  DeDe didn't get this until her forties!  It's my prayer you all get it earlier, because I want only the best for all of you!

I love you Vaughn, Kyle, Blake, Samantha, Sara, Sadie, Holt simply beyond words, but God loves you all more than you can possibly imagine!  Trust Him with your moments, with your minutes, with your hours, and with your days and your life will be a joy!

Love,

DeDe