Today is my birthday and normally, I keep a very low profile, but this year, I wanted to be intentional with the celebration.
There are some things I have been learning about myself and decided it was time to make changes in areas that were important to me. One of them was being intentional in the way I celebrated and showed up for myself.
Almost two months prior, I started thinking about the things I wanted to do. When an idea took hold, I memorialized it, and sent it to a few close friends so that when the day came, I couldn’t back out.
In the days prior, I chose to honor myself with my intentionality of the things I did – and, it was so beautiful to see the way God gives the desires of our hearts.
As I listened to two different messages from this week, two different individuals talked about what the desires of our hearts truly meant. When we are in relationship with God and we delight ourselves in Him, He has a way of aligning our desires with His. They explained that God had asked them to do something and they weren’t particularly keen on the idea initially, but through seeking what God wanted for their lives, they came around on the directive, and it worked out in ways they could never have imagined.
As I’m contemplating this message and thinking of my own life, there are so many things that I did not originally desire, but God aligned my desires with His and I can confidently say that I would not have asked for a different outcome.
Some of the things I want to be sure to celebrate this birthday are:
This year made five years as an independent financial advisor. This is not the path I would have taken, but God aligned my will with His and I can’t believe the work I get to do with clients. I can take care of their financial needs, but also guide in godly ways with prayer and encouragement.
In a matter of days, my fourth book, which will be my third devotional in the series, will be published. It’s titled ‘Walking in Love: Learning to Love Better Each Day’. The experiences that God took me through to be able to write it was not one that I would have desired, but today, I am so grateful that He has.
And, of course, allowing me to see another birthday.
Those are just a few of the things that God has graciously allowed, in His wisdom, and, I couldn’t be more grateful.
So, today, would you celebrate with me that He has a way of giving us the desires of our hearts, even when we might not have originally wanted to do the thing?
Dear Heavenly Father, this morning I am so filled with awe at your love and care for us. I’m so grateful you see the beginning from the end and we can trust you, even when situations look nothing like we expected them to. Thank you for aligning our desires with yours, and that we are able to see your goodness in the land of the living.