I just thought...

I just thought our friendship was going to last forever...

I just thought this opportunity was going to be easy & life-giving...

I just thought this season was going to be less challenging...

I just thought it would never happen again...

I just thought overcoming my sin habits wouldn't take so long...

I just thought I would have been married by now...

I just thought motherhood wouldn't be so difficult...

I just thought life would look different...

These are all sentences that have gone through my mind at one point or another. Perhaps you can say the same as well as adding to the list. It wasn't until recently that the Lord began to teach me something through these 3 words, "I just thought..."

Have you ever watched the sunrise or sunset and thought to yourself, "I just thought it was going to look different?" I definitely have. I've had to "make peace" sometimes with the fact that too much cloud coverage got in the way of seeing the vibrant colors. And it is disappointing at times. But it also has been beautiful to see the sunrise or sunset from a different perspective.

Isaiah 55:8-9

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Our Heavenly Father gave us such a gift in reminding us that our thoughts are not His. He has far greater thoughts and plans for our life than we do. And praise Him for that! Our thoughts are so limiting and fearful without the Spirit of God to change our thoughts and make them obedient to Christ.

It's time to look at our life or aspects of our life from a different perspective.

I want to share something with you, friend, that has freed me to live with more peace and less angst. It's this: saying "I just thought ______, and that's okay. It's being at peace with how differently some things turned out (large or small) It's about surrendering the moment, the day, the month, the year to the Lord and all that we thought about it...and receiving His best plan in it all. It's learning to live open handed with a desire to see from a new perspective.

So, dear friend, I pray that you find deep peace in Jesus today with whatever your, "I just thought...." looks like.

His ways are higher than yours.

His thoughts are greater than yours.

Blessings,

Hope