Faith of a Zucchini

Do you ever map our your life and hope that it turns out that way.  For instance.... as a little girl, did you already have your life planned. You knew when you'd go to college, get married, how many kids you'd have (in what particular order), where you'd live, what your husband's job would be, where you would go on vacation, and what would have for dinner every night.  Now how often does life happen exactly as we planned.  Not often.

If you asked me 2 years ago if I'd be living the the middle of the great plains, I probably would have thought you were crazy.  No I didn't have life "Planned," but living here.... definitely not in the plans.  Seriously, I cried at the mention of turning in a resume to maybe even consider moving out here.  But as life takes unexpected turns, we learn to adjust.  I LOVE it out here.  It's beautiful, flat, so green, but flat, the people are wonderful, nice and so welcoming, living in a flat place. Seriously I love it! I pretend there's mountains (thank you big fluffy clouds).  We learned to adjust and our plans adjusted. (My Home) 

Our plans didn't change.... the timing of our plans changed.  The husband was set to go to graduate school while I worked. Moving out here, well the opposite has now happened.  Today I was my last day at my job and I start graduate school in 3 weeks.  Not in the plan.  The plan was the husband going to graduate school.  But here we are adjusting and learning.

Sometimes I have this grand plan in my head, down to the particular timing everything.  But sometimes that timing I have in my head isn't what my Heavenly Father wants.  And that is what's hard.  It's a struggle to understand the timing of things in life.  Why some people marry young and others when they are older.  Why do some people have kids super easy, and others struggle and it takes time.  Why am I going to graduate school now and not the husband.  Timing.  It's all about timing.  We think we know ourselves so well and can see everything perfectly.  We know the plan best for us.  We know the best timing.  But truthfully, we don't. 

Heavenly Father knows the best timing because only He can truly see everything.  So why when I know that His plan is best is it still hard.  It's life.  It's something that I have to learn.  Learn to have faith.  Faith in His plan.  Faith in my decision.  Faith in myself.  That's what it all comes down too. Faith.  And sometimes, faith is hard to have.  But all we need is a little ounce of desire to have faith and from there it grows.  There's a primary song that compares faith to a seed. "Faith is like a little seed, if planted it will grow."  Isn't it amazing that HUGE zucchini grow in my garden, and they all started from a little seed.  I want faith of a Zucchini.

As we strive to increase our faith, Heavenly Father gives us encouragement along the way.  He is always there.  He knows we struggle to understand His planning, so He's there to help us along the way.  Heavenly Father sends us tender mercies to let us know He's there.  Plans change, and we adjust, but we can make it through with Heavenly Father's help.  As we strive to follow His plan, we'll learn and we'll grow.  Remember, everything will work out, just havefaith in His timing.