Has God messed up your tidy plans?
He started messing up mine about eight years ago. My family moved into our first home 50 miles away from our community of friends. Out to the high plains desert of Colorado. I didn’t want to leave the city. However after we left something started to change in me. We lived on an acre of nothing but weeds. I fought to create a lush garden amongst the jackrabbits, moles, snakes, coyotes, winds, and mosquitoes. Life was simple and complicated. After a year, I felt different and more empty. My relationships all turned bitter. I stopped attending Bible study and I stopped taking my preschool daughter to play group. Tired, lonely, and wounded, I begged God for direction. Some hope. A reason for this dry, desert season.
That’s when I dreamt of a visual of our lives as “living stones.” I woke up and wrote everything down. This idea was so amazing to me that I called my parents and told my husband and my neighbor friends. I felt hopeful about life knowing God was shaping me into a precious stone.
Overwhelmed by a fresh word from God, I started waking up early to hear more. His word became alive. I saw God everywhere I looked. Devotional ideas started pouring in like a spring. Overflowing with joy, I wrote.
Up until that point, I didn’t write except for an occasional journal entry. Now I wrote daily. I couldn’t not write. I had to capture these word pictures. I emailed friends my thoughts hoping to encourage them too. My husband and kids saw me dancing and singing while I made dinner. That’s a miracle as I don’t like cooking. I continued to seek God with everything I had, my heart grew more and more in love with God. He became more than my savior, He became my best friend and my reason to live.
Something happened during my time in the desert. God used this time to speak into my life and direct me to His calling upon my life. He made me a writer. Something I never prayed about being, something I never dreamed about either. But as the last eight years have played out, God continues to show me the way with writing. I’ve attended conferences to grow in the craft. I’ve connected with other writers who help me and are now my dear friends. Writing now is where God meets me. I find my purpose in Him when I write.
I’m so glad for my time living in the desert. His word is true:
Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:18-19)
I’m so glad God messed up my neat and tidy world. Out of my desert time, God gave me streams of hope and a purpose.
Let me encourage you if you are in the desert. Wait and listen for the sound of water. I believe God will pour out His purpose during your dry season. May He mess you up for good like He did me!
Thanks to my friend, Susan , for sharing her heart about this In Other Words quote. She always touches my heart.
WOW…..you’ve reached down to the depth of my soul today…..and touched it…with the water of God’s love!!!
Thank-you…thank-you…thank-you…for sharing this amazing testimony.
I frimly believe that God never leads us, where his grace does not keep us!!!
My soul is BLESSED beyond measure, everytime I visit.
Blessings to you!!
What a good message Tiffany. I wrote about something similar. God inspired me during a lonely time, too.
Yes Tiffany, God has messed up my tidy plans way too many times.
And I’ve become closer to Him, more dependent on Him, and fell deeper in love each time.
This was just an incredible story of HOPE and encouragement. We’ve all been in those desert places in our lives.
You continue to weave a story of God’s faithfulness throughout your life. I love getting to you Tiffany.
Still praying~
Oh, thanks so much for participating today, what treasure this is♥
Sorry for the typo,
I love getting to KNOW you Tiffany!! He He…♥ (smile)
Great post! I love to hear stories about how God began a new work in ways we couldn’t imagine!
You have so lovingly touched my heart, bless you.
What an amazing testimony! Time in the desert is so hard but I am reminded of the song we have been singing at my church recently, “Strength Will Rise As We Wait Upon The Lord.” Praise God that He is faithful and the gift of writing He has given you!
Oh my goodness…..I cannot believe this post.
I have been in the desert….the verse in Isaiah has been a VERY familiar one that Papa has spoken to me OFTEN.
My desert started 6 years ago….all friendships removed…. I started writing.
Oh my goodness…..this is unbelievable.
Now I can see more clearly why Papa has connected our hearts…
Wow, just wow.
As usual this post was stunning and spoke my heart language.
Do you know the verse that Papa gave me as He invited me into the desert? Hosea 2:14-16.
Love to you!
Julie
Loved that and so true..He recently messed up our tidy little plans and I’m so grateful He did! Glory be to God!
Yep, I can relate! Deserts are no fun, but that is where there is so much growth! I have been in the desert a few times! Sometimes because of unrepentence, but sometimes because God has placed me there to grow closer to him! I thank him for loving me enough!
I can certainly relate. I was surrounded by friends and the mountains I loved when I was allowed by God to put me in a desert bed. I became so sad because I was so young and full of physical strength and energy. But…my jealous God wanted me back from my excited wanderings and friends. He wanted my exclusive attention. In His love and comfort, he gave me my first novel and called me to be one of his writers to future generations. This year my word is Legacy. I am writing to and for the generations to come. I am writing of a loving God who never fails those He loves.
Yesterday, I received truth and for that I am so grateful, now I can let go and press on. I now know the truth of a matter and I am free not to continue. God will take care of the falsehoods and opinions of the world. It is so comforting to know He sees all hearts.
Blessings to all.
Wow! What a beautiful post, rich with encouragement. It’s been awhile since I’ve experienced the desert (which probably means I’m about due for a trip…) As always, you know just how to speak to the our hearts and give all the praise back to the Lord. What a gift!
Blessings,
Tracy
This I loved. Needed it. If you’d only been in the truck with us this morning (me and the Lord)….then you’d know.
Love you much Tiffany.
I couldn’t agree with you more. Desert season in our life are sometimes the most fruitful ones 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your heart with us.
Blessings to you and your precious family.
Tiffany, This is such a beautiful post. I have been so blessed reading it. I’ve always believed that God leads us to each point in our lives for a purpose… even if it is thru a desert.
Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
Thank you so much for sharing this post. I too can relate to this desert experience.