What was he thinking when God made you? Recently I pondered why God made me who I am. Have you ever wondered? I personally believe that when God made you and me, he had a plan in mind. None of us is the protagonist in the story of our lives.
The True Story of Mary Clarke
The June 2004 issue of Reader’s Digest reveals the true story of Mary Clarke, a woman who dreamed of getting rich, getting married and starting a family with seven children. It all worked out, but twenty-five years later her marriage ended in a painful divorce that she will not talk about to this day. Now that her marriage was over and her children were grown, she began to search for God’s true purpose for her life.
In 1977, Mary Clarke became Sister Antonia and made La Mesa Prison near Tijuana, Mexico, her permanent residence. Since then, Sister Antonia has volunteered to live in a ten-foot concrete cell and dedicate her life to serving the inmates at La Mesa.
“I live in a prison,” she says, “but I’ve never had a single day of depression and I’ve never felt hopeless. I’ve never felt like I couldn’t do anything to make it better.”
Mary Clarke’s life has turned out very differently than expected. She never dreamed of living in a prison and serving criminals. In the end, she discovered something that God wants us all to recognize: none of us are the main characters in the story of our lives.
Recognize God’s hand
There comes a time when we begin to notice God’s providential guidance. It is God’s intervention in our lives that reminds us that He is the protagonist. The things that happen in your life are things that God does not allow for nothing. God never makes mistakes.
In the various spiritual books I’ve read about God’s guidance, there are five recurring themes I’ve discovered:
- God is always reliable, but never predictable.
- God brought me to this place. This is God’s appointment.
- God will give me the grace to behave like His child. His love is enough.
- God is refining me. Eventually this trial will turn into a blessing.
- God will take me out in His time. He alone knows when and how.
When God created you, he had a plan. No one has any say as to the time or place of his birth. The Bible teaches that God determines that without consulting us (Acts 17:26).
Have you ever thought that God is behind everything that happens in your life – from birth to death?
Are you aware that God is guiding you right now? Ask him to clarify his plan.
Trust his timetable. Give God credit for knowing what he’s doing.
None of us is the protagonist in the story of our lives.
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