Sara J. Mikkelson
I took a deep breath, smiling with anticipation as I looked out the window and saw the winding river on the ground far bellow me. The plane gradually started to descend, but it seemed like an exuberant amount of time before we finally landed. Over two years after I had originally planned on taking this trip, I could hardly believe I was really there. Several years ago, just before my high school graduation, I decided that going to volunteer at the Answers in Genesis Creation Museum in Kentucky that summer would be an essential part of my “life plan”. Problem was I still would have been under age so I could not go.
“Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” ~Proverbs 27:1
I was crushed. My logical, efficient “life plan” was crumbling before it even began, so I decided to let God plan my summer instead. After moping a little, I finally decided to follow the annoying little nudge I’d had in the back of my mind for several months to see if the little creation museum in a nearby small town needed any help for a day or two. Two-and-a-half years later, I’m still regularly going to help out at Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum*, and it’s been an incredible adventure!
In that time I’ve gotten to work with fossils, make replicas, teach kid’s classes, work conferences, go on a dig, appear on TV, and meet very gifted people, among many other things. It hasn’t been all “glamorous” work, but it has certainly grown my relationship with God, and taught me to trust Him more fully. I’m extremely grateful to God for allowing that disappointment of not going to Kentucky years ago. And yes, I finally did get to go this past year – but even my brief time there was molded by my experiences at Mt. Blanco.
While it is very important to have sound, logical reasons for what we do and believe (more about that here), we must not rely on human reasoning and strength alone. Let us not live and serve the Lord by our own planning, might, power, or reasoning but through His strength and in His ways. We are human, full of weaknesses, biases, and faulty reasoning. Remember that His holy Word is the source of Truth and guidance – not our own flawed planning and reasoning. Our love for the Lord must never be lessened by our love of logic – on the contrary, the more we love Him, the more we will love the laws of logic He created. Keep this in mind as you make plans and encounter different ideas during the coming year.
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not on thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” ~ Proverbs 3:5-6
*We need volunteers at Mt. Blanco! More info here
Copyright Sara J. Bruegel, 2015. Used with permission.
