When plans are blowing in the wind | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: When plans are blowing in the wind | Previous Challenge Entry
By Pauline Carruthers
06/04/14
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When plans are blowing in the wind

Last Friday was just an ordinary day like any other. Dew tipped grass glistened in morning sunshine and the auburn leaves on the flowering plum tree whispered in a gentle breeze. ‘He has made me a child of God’ was playing on Christian radio and I sang as I rubbed vigorously at the stubborn streaks on the front windows. A car pulled into the driveway and I instantly recognised it as belonging to the man who was buying my property. Not expecting the good news until Monday I dashed down the stairs from the flat to the main door, completely unable to contain the excitement. I closed the door on bad news and dragged my reluctant feet back up the stairs, to the loneliness of another disappointment. Again my opponent had thwarted my plans.

At four thirty on Saturday morning the anger and distress of injustice and unfairness had played out. It seemed like the enemy of my soul was once again laying mini land mines along my path, blocking my way forward with immovable mountains of bureaucracy, inciting my otherwise peaceful neighbour to lodge unrealistic objections to my buyers plans for the business premises on the ground floor. Three times he had stolen my sale. A tentative word of praise squeezed into the morning air and a rosy glow of sunrise crept around the room. Wrenching the curtains wide apart I had to close my eyes against the power of the fiery red ball peeking over the horizon. Sitting on the end of my bed, a pair of old scratched sunglasses protecting my eyes from the glare, an inkling of a smile acknowledged my Father’s ultimate victory over the enemy. Right now my plans are blowing in the wind again, but one day soon the enemy’s campaign will cease and I will be looking out of the window of my new apartment at a glorious sun setting over the sea.

Swinging backwards into despair again I didn’t feel much like going to church on Sunday morning. The feeling of helplessness against the authorities and planning committee who seemed to hold my future in their hands, was a powerful force to anxiety. The words, ’Planning Permission Refused’ appeared pasted into the air in front of me like a blatant statement from the enemy. It was dawn and the sun was once again rising over the fields in front of my house. A different angle, a different effect, but stunning in its own unique beauty, ricocheting from the crystal light and making tiny rainbows on the far wall. My Heavenly Father knows my need and He knows what touches my heart into submission. I have often wondered at the coincidence of a sunrise, a sunset or an outrageously stunning rainbow that has brought a grateful smile at times of deepest distress. Walking to church in the quietness of a Sunday morning brought a sense of peace to my soul as I passed the little huddle of ducks around the muddy water of the village pond. The thought occurred to me that the muddy waters of confusion created by the enemy might soon ripple out into insignificance, as the clear waters of God’s promise bring clarity and a victorious conclusion to what right now appears to be a defeat.

The Monday morning that should have brought good news brought only triumph for the opposition. All our efforts at compliance with every regulation and stipulation had once again ended in failure. The enemy’s election campaign unmercifully launches tendrils of doubt, despair and disillusionment into the world. But our God lovingly allows us freedom of choice.

I sat quietly, surveying packed boxes whilst seeking the courage to accept defeat and call the agent handling the purchase of my new home by the sea. Late on Monday evening I composed an e-mail, suddenly finding myself able to reassure her that I was still one hundred percent committed to the purchase of the apartment and that I had faith in God’s promise that it would still be mine. The enemy seeks to drag us down, but in his mission to snatch souls from the Lord he sometimes loses more from the world.

Our last battle is the Appeal. A forerunner to final victory and testimony to the glory and power of our God. Though He may allow hard things to happen, our election is sure as we stand on His promises. The battle belongs to the Lord.

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