When God changes your Blueprint

Happy Monday to our CFC Family and I trust each of you had blessed August month!

As many of you know, Lenise and I, as well as our oldest daughter Taylor, took a holiday to South Dakota last month, where we got to enjoy some of the beautiful sights of that state.

I have always wanted to see some of the sights, like Mount Rushmore, but it was only this year that we finally took the time to check it out and I have got to tell you, I was not disappointed.

As many of you who have seen it know, it is quite the sight to behold, and to think that this all started with one man's vision is truly inspirational.

The vision behind Mount Rushmore came from a sculptor named Gutzon Borglum.

In 1927, Borglum began his work on the mountain, but before this, he created a model of what he envisioned the finished monument would look like. He had a plan, a picture in his mind, and a specific idea of what he wanted to accomplish. But once he began working on the actual mountain, things did not always go according to plan. The condition of the stone created challenges, changes had to be made, and limitations of time and money meant that some of Borglum's original ideas had to be shelved. Even the placement and appearance of some of the faces had to be changed.

The carving began on October 4, 1927, and the project was declared complete on October 31, 1941. Gutzon Borglum himself died just months before it was completed, and his son Lincoln, who had worked alongside him for those twenty years carried the project through its final stages.

Today, when people come and gaze at this incredible monument, I can guarantee you that nobody looks at Mount Rushmore and says, “Yeah, it is not bad, but it is not what it was supposed to be!”

People simply look at it and think, “Man, what an incredible sight!”

But what many people do not realize is that the creation of this monument took close to twenty years of struggles, obstacles, changes of plans and personal sacrifices for it to be finally completed.

They simply see Borglum finished dream before them and marvel at his finished masterpiece.

I think there is a lesson for us in that. That is how our lives can be if we allow God to lead.

Many of us began our lives with a picture of how we thought things would turn out. We had dreams, plans, and expectations. In our youth, we thought our lives would look a certain way, our plans would go in a certain direction, our careers would take a certain path, and God would open certain doors.

But then life happened.

There were unexpected turns, disappointments, closed doors, mistakes, setbacks, and circumstances we never saw coming. We think to ourselves, “This is not how I thought it would go,” yet we have a sense of disappointment that some of those dreams didn’t come to fruition.

Proverbs 16:9 reminds us, “A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.” (KJV)

Truth is, we may make plans, but God directs our steps. Sometimes the path He leads us down looks very different from the path we had planned. Yet that does not mean our lives are a failure. It may simply mean God is building something different, and perhaps something far more beautiful than we could have imagined.

As we get older, we need to stop looking at our lives only through the lens of how we thought things should have gone and start looking at what God has built within us because of the paths He has allowed us to walk.

Like Borglum’s and his son Lincoln, you and some close loved ones may be the only ones who know all the bumps and hiccups you have had to experience along the way. You remember the mistakes you have made, the battles you have fought, the prayers you have prayed, and the times God had to pick you up and redirect your steps.

But when others look at you today, they may simply see someone who is still standing, still serving, still worshiping, and still trusting Jesus. And there is beauty in that!

Philippians 1:6 reminds us that; “He who began a good work in us will continue it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

God is not finished with us. Our story is not over.

So do not spend your days wishing your life had turned out differently. Take a moment and look at where you are today. Look at what God has brought you through and what He has accomplished for you and through you. Celebrate His faithfulness.

Your life may not look like the blueprint you once had in your mind, but perhaps that is okay. The Master Builder has been at work.

May those around you see the beauty of someone who, despite past mistakes, disappointments, and detours, is still trusting the Lord today.

Psalm 37:23 says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD.”

Trust Him with the steps behind you, the steps you are taking today, and the steps still ahead.

Do not just look at how you thought it would go, look at what God has built.

This weeks question: When you look at your life today, do you see only what didn’t happen, or can you see what God has built?

Have a great week and we’ll see you Sunday!

Pastor Dan