Pieces of the Plan

My daughter will be 3 this December, and she still struggles at mealtime with how much food should go in her mouth at a time. Seriously, at every meal my husband and I have to tell her at least once, "McKenna, you've got way too much in your mouth. Chew and swallow all that before you take another bite." She has no idea how to handle an entire chicken breast or a plate full of spaghetti.

Maybe this is why God often gives us our life plan in pieces. Like with Abraham. He didn't say to him, "Head to Canaan. You're gonna be there a while. I'm going to give you a son. I know it seems laughable now, and it's still going to be many years before it happens, but I promise it will. And then Isaac's going to have twin boys..."

You know what He said to him? "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." (Genesis 12:1) He doesn't even tell him where he's going. Just that he should leave.

I don't know about you guys, but I tend to get frustrated when I don't know the whole plan.

When I was working toward getting Me, Just Different published, I wanted God to tell me what was in store. I knew it was a book I needed to write, but that was it.

God did tell Abraham this after sending him out: "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:2-3)

God assured Abraham that He was in control, and He would take care of him.

Just like God assures us that any work we do for Him will not be in vain. "Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (1Corinthians 15:58b)

I recently received an e-mail from a girl in Texas saying how much she enjoyed Me, Just Different. She writes, "You did a great job of making the book appealing to all girls. One of my atheist friends was actually saved after reading your book because it led her to have questions about Christianity!"

When I went through my "dark year" as I call it, where I had nothing but rejection after rejection, I couldn't see this moment.

Heck, when I had the privilege of holding Me, Just Different for the first time, I couldn't see this moment.

But God could. He knew that girl was part of the plan. He knew He could use Skylar's story to reach her. And what a strange mix of grateful and humbled I feel every time I read that e-mail. If all my work was just for that girl, that'd be fine by me.

I don't know what God has planned next for me. He's only giving me one piece at a time. And I'm okay with that.

Stephanie Morrill is a twenty-something living in Overland Park, Kansas with her husband and two kids. Her only talents are reading, writing, and drinking coffee, so career options were somewhat limited. Fortunately, she discovered a passion for young adult novels a few years ago and has been writing them ever since. Stephanie is the author of The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series and is currently working on other young adult projects. To check out her blog and read samples of her books, check out www.StephanieMorrillBooks.com and www.GoTeenWriters.com.