Better Than My Own

About a month or so ago, my husband Cory and I found out that we are expecting a child. Since we found out this news, there have been many things that I have been anxious about. For instance, I am just about 21 years old and have been married for just about 6 months now (in 2 days it will be our 6-month anniversary) and I am 3 1/2 months pregnant. I never expected in a million years that out of my graduating class, I would be the second married (first only to my sister-in-law) as well as the first to have a child. When I met Cory though, he blew all of my hopes, dreams and expectations out of the water. I think it's kinda funny how when I met the man of my dreams, God took everything that I had previously thought I would be like a year from then and changed it. Just over a year ago, I met this amazing guy at a college intramural volleyball group. I never thought that a year later I would be married to this amazing guy, be pregnant with our first child, and be living so far away from my friends and family. Yes, God changed all of my plans and everything that I expected, but with changing my plans for my life, He has made my life so much more fulfilling in just one year than I could have with my original plans.

Jeremiah 29:11 states, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" I have always read this verse and thought to myself, "Wow, God has a plan for my life that will prosper me and I will be safe with His plan. I will have a great future with God's plan for my life." I have even applied this scripture to my marriage. I know that God has great plans for Cory and my marriage and we will have a prosperous marriage as long as we follow Him. His plans for our marriage are plans of hope and plans of a great future together and with Him. I was talking to my dad on the phone the other day. I told him that I was having problems sleeping at night because I am very anxious about being pregnant and all of the changes that happen when you have a child. I also told him about multiple things that I am nervous about and I seem to be dwelling on those things. My dad reminded me of Philippians 4:8 which tells us," ...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--thing about such things." He told me that while I have a good reason to be anxious about those things, that God's plan for my life right now is not to worry about things that I cannot change...but to think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable--think about the promises of God for my life. Whenever I am feeling nervous and anxious about anything, think about the promises of God and say Philippians 4:8 over in my head and think about those things. Last night, I had had enough of my anxiety taking over. I went through Philippians 4:8 and thought about God's promises for my life. Then I remembered Jeremiah 29:11. "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" It hit me hard. All of this time, I have been applying that verse only to my life and Cory and my marriage. The thought of that promise also applying to my son that I am carrying never crossed my mind until last night. Even though our son is about the size of a lemon, God has had plans for his life before he was even conceived! God has plans for our son's life that will prosper our son and he will have a great future under the plan of God. Not only that, but God already has plans for our son's marriage. He already has plans to prosper our son's marriage and those plans give me great hope even though I have no idea what they are. I haven't even met my son yet and God already has great big plans for his life. How awesome is that?

So maybe the plans that I had for myself and my life have been thrown out the window and no longer exist, but I have great comfort in the fact that God's plan for my life and my marriage never change and they are always there. God never changes His mind and throws His plans for anyone's life out the window to start over. Fortunately, being human, we can make mistakes over and over and He never throws us out the window either. He is constant and He never changes...and neither does His love for us. That is such an encouragement to a sinner who constantly makes the same mistakes and who messes up constantly. He will never stop loving us no matter what. I don't know about you, but that makes all of my anxiety go away every time I think about it.