March 4, 2011

Be Our Guest / Joanie Nobbe

We are here for God’s purpose

Joanie NobbeIf I gave you some wood and asked you to make me a birdhouse, could you? You might be able to throw something together, but would it be exactly what I had in mind? What if I gave you the tools and the blueprints?

In life, we are constantly experiencing things that are both good and bad. God uses these experiences for his purpose.

When we go through these troubling times, it is easy to get so caught up that we forget that God is always with us. He knows what we are feeling and what we need. He puts people in our life to help us along the way.

When I recall some of my lowest moments, I realize that I have used these times to help others. Because I have been through them and survived fine, I am better able to be there for someone else. I can easily put myself in their shoes and feel their pain. God uses our past to train us for our future. He knows where you are needed, and that is where he puts you.

Personally, I always feel like I am not doing enough for God. He has blessed me so much in my life that I need to give back. I pick the things that are in my comfort zone.

In reality, I need to give up control and let God take the lead. I don’t get to decide what he has planned for me. I just need to go on autopilot, and let him guide me down the correct path. He will put me in the right place at just the right time. The trick is to pay attention and live in that moment.

Oftentimes, we are doing God’s work and are unaware that it is happening. It can happen anywhere. It could be something as simple as smiling at someone at the grocery store. Your smile might turn their day around.

Have you been in situations where you know someone is hurting, and you second-guess your role in making it better? Sometimes we just need to be there. Our presence might just be enough for someone to realize that they are not alone. I find at times that I am at a loss for the right words to say. We may not have all the answers, and that is OK. That might not be what God needs from you.

My dad always said that “Someone somewhere has it worse off than you.”

We aren’t meant to focus so much on ourselves. We get so wrapped up in what is going wrong with our lives that we miss all the things that are going right.

God gives us the right tools and blueprints for the job at hand. He uses our lives as training for our mission. We are all here for his purpose. The trick is to pay attention and live in that moment.

(Joanie Nobbe is a member of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Enochsburg.)

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