2nd Best?

                                                                  

2^nd Best? Wrong Turn?

J-E-S-U-S was the first word I remember being able to spell. I've not known a day of not knowing who Christ is. But it took many years to learn how much He knew me and loved me. In fact, I'm still learning. 

The following is one story of how the truth of God changed a lie. 

Many moons ago when I was a young girl of 19, I gave birth to my first child; a little boy. While the event should have been full of joy, excitement and a little fear, it was almost all fear mixed with shame and a tiny bit of  joy. 

 The shame; I wasn’t married. The fear; I’d sinned terribly. The joy; I had my very own little person to love and who would love me (even though I didn't think I deserved the joy). 

 While pregnant with my son, a well meaning friend gave me these words to chew over:  “If you miss God’s best, you’ll have to settle for His 2^nd best”.  The person meant to be encouraging and to be honest, I was encouraged.  At least I was still in the club!

A week after the birth of my son, I developed a rather bad infection. I was lying on the examining table, full of fear and tears. I looked up at my mom who had driven me and the baby to the doctor, and asked her if she thought  this was God’s punishment for my sin? I was holding onto a tiny bit of hope that she would say no, but she affirmed it was. Another weight was added to my already heavy burden. 

So, this is how it was for me; living the 2^nd best plan for my life, being punished for my sins. All of them.

I  spent my life under this fail/punishment cloud, walking the tightrope of my failed attempts at goodness, never quite reaching the other side known as “God’s Best”, knowing at any moment I could, and probably would be flicked away like an annoying gnat.  It would be 13 years of an abusive marriage, 4 more children, a divorce, more shame and utter despair, before I found out the truth. 

I had been lied to. There is no 2^nd Best.

Nothing I do is a surprise to God, nothing catches Him off guard. Nothing I could do or not do would separate me from His love, from His grace, from His salvation, from His compassion. 

Nothing.

No being single

No baby without a daddy.

No horrible infection. 

No marriage

No divorce.

No abuse.

No shame.

No doing something wrong.

No making a mistake.

No wrong thought.

No sin. 

Nothing. 

The only thing I did was take some detours. Unplanned by me, known and made provision for by God. 

Ever taken a trip using your navigation? What happens when you take a wrong turn? She pauses a moment and then says “re-routing” and comes up with a new way to get to where you were going. May tack on a few minutes and take you through a scary part of town, but you’ll get there. 

So do you think the Creator is stymied when we take a wrong turn? Shocked that we left the route He was guiding us on? Nope. He re-routes us. It may take us through some places we would have avoided had we stayed with Him and not been distracted with a “better idea” or a “way someone told me about”.  But He stays with us. Every step of the way. And to be honest, what could be better than His presence? His companionship? And He won’t waste the detour, He’ll teach us, point out why this probably wasn’t the best way to go, but reassures us that it will be ok. He even points out some pretty things along this unplanned route. Because everything is beautiful with Him. Even our mistakes.  He’s with us all the time. We have His word;  He’s promised to never leave us or forsake us.

Psalm 139: 7-10: “Is there anyplace I can go to avoid Your Spirit? To be out of Your sight? If I ascend to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in Sheol (the underworld of the dead and the personification of the evil it represents—yep, been there), You are there!  If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your Hand shall lead me, and Your right Hand shall hold me”. (parentheses and bold, mine).

He is at places we didn’t even know we were going to be at, ready to lead us and always holding us close to Himself with His right hand, which represents a position of closeness. 

                                                                      

It is this constant love, this constant friendship, this inescapable love He has for us that compels us to draw closer. To wait and listen. To trust in all that He is, all that He has been, and all that He will be. All of His promises are current  every moment of every day.

OH, and the sin I was being punished for?  I wasn’t. I never was. That was another lie.  There was only One punished for my sin and His forgiveness is always mine for the asking... and receiving. I always live in His mercy, hidden in the righteousness of Christ. 

There is only the Best. And it was mine all the time It is yours all the time. It is ours all the time.