members only

Just a heads up...this post is pretty vague/random/poorly written.  Warning aside, read on...

Have you ever wanted to be part of something just because everyone else is?  Or maybe you wanted to be one of them only because you knew you couldn't be.  Perhaps you genuinely want that membership for pure reasons but your life situation just doesn't allow for it.  Regardless of your reason for wanting to be in the cool kids' club (define "cool" to whatever your situation is), that "members only" status sucks when you're not a member and have no control of it.  But...do you want to know what doesn't suck?  God doesn't want you in the club right now. or ever. but maybe just not now.  Sounds kind of harsh, right?  You're thinking, "how is that the non-sucky part?"  Well, that's the non-sucky part because it means He is good.  He won't let you in the club because He knows it's not the BEST thing for you right now.  He knows the club - its members, its benefits, its challenges.  He doesn't want you to experience any of those out of His timeline.

 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:8-9

That's a hard pill to swallow when I can't understand why my ways and thoughts aren't the best for me.  This verse has always been comforting to me AFTER I endure tough situations, but I'm working on trusting it DURING such trials.  I think it's okay that you still want to be in the club.  However, it's not okay to idolize it.  He doesn't want us to dwell on what we don't have or what we aren't, but rather what we have and what we are in HIM.  Rejoice for those in the club but keep your eyes on Christ and what He has planned for your life right now.  His sucky ideas are better than my best ideas.

(God - sorry for calling your ideas sucky.  I know they're not.  They just seem like it sometimes.)