"Do not let your hearts be
troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." (John 14:1 NIV)
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may
have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome
the world." (John 16:33 NIV)
Letting our hearts be troubled, or "worrying", as we'd
word it today, is a decision we make: The decision to put our emphasis on
something--anything!--rather than on Jesus! When we worry, it truly means that
we worship at the wrong altar! It means that controlling our circumstances is
more important to us than letting Jesus have control of our future!
We wonder why we don't have peace, but the answer is
clear: We don't have peace because we are not in tune with Jesus, the One who
encourages us to: "Trust in God; trust also in Me"! Have we erred so much from
the straight and narrow path that we can no longer realize that Jesus is in
control of our destiny?
This Sunday I realized that what I had planned during
my youth, a future I had awaited with excitement and anticipation, had never
occurred. Why? Because God had better plans for me. And I suspect that if you
take the time to meditate on your trek through life, you, too, may come to the
same conclusion.
In school, my interests always lay with Science and
Math, and at the age of 16 I had my future completely planned out. After
graduating from high school, I would attend university to become an electrical
engineer.
Then a cog was rammed into the wheels of my planned
future. My brother introduced me to people who had a Bible, a no-no for us
Catholics in the old country. I fell in love with God's Word, and I was
encouraged to become a pastor. My personal dreams for my future disappeared the
day, and I attended seminary instead. Four years later I graduated with a
Master's degree in Theology, with a major in Hebrew and a minor in Greek.
Hoping to obtain a PhD, I applied to a university in
the U.S. Once there I was totally dismayed when I discovered that they would not
accept my Master's degree from Europe. I would have to spend another three years
obtaining my Master's before even being able to begin my PhD studies. I knew
that this would financially tax my dad to the maximum, for he insisted on paying
for all my studies. God bless him! As I couldn't do that to him I was unsure
what my next steps would be. Confused and disillusioned, I realized that the
dream of my youth has all been thrown away for a degree I now could not afford
to obtain.
But God had different plans for me. He made me
remember my first days in kindergarten. Being French-speaking in a Flemish
culture can be hard on any small child, and here I was, at five years of age,
amidst strangers who were talking gibberish. The next year I barely passed first
grade and my teacher insisted I repeat my year, due to my difficulties with
Dutch.
Then God helped me to remember high school. I took
English as my second language in high school, and here again I faced
incomprehensible words. It didn't help that the emphasis was solely on grammar
and on translating from one language to another. Again I failed, and I had to
retake my English exams during the summer in order to pass to the next grade. My
teacher told me boldly: "You will never be able to ever speak in English".
I was devastated, but years later, while attending
seminary, I noticed that the many Americans and Canadians attending the language
school attached to the seminary really hadn't come to learn the beautiful French
language, but instead, to discover Europe! Since they were speaking English all
the time, I began to hang around with them, and within 3 months I was able to
speak fluent English. A nearby high school soon heard about me and offered me a
part-time job helping students who had difficulties with English.
I also
was
offered a part-time job teaching a French lab
at the language school.
I enjoyed these teaching opportunities, and as a
result, I decided to go to teacher's college instead of pursuing my PhD in
Theology. Thus I needed only two years to finish my degree, instead of the five
the PhD would have required.
This had been my destiny all along, and though I was
initially rebellious, continuing to study computer and math classes on the side,
once I fully accepted God into my life, I delighted in it. If I had not obeyed,
I would have never met my wife, and my two terrific sons would never have come
to be. I also would never have come to Canada, a fact which allowed me to help
one of my family members start a new life by immigrating to Canada.
I also may have never discovered God the way I now
know Him, and Answers2Prayer would never have existed. And I probably never
would have been able to reach people for eternity through His strength that
resides in me.
Although I was a total failure in learning languages,
my loving Dad in heaven turned that around and made it my strength. Although I
used to hate writing, this, too, He turned around, making it my delight. This
Bible text became my reality: "When I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor 12:10
NIV)
My Dad in heaven is truly the only one who gives inner
peace. This peace didn't exist in the days where my own plans were more
important than anything else, but letting Him lead the way will always result in
total satisfaction, even amidst the storms of life.
Would you like to experience Him fully?
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.