1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)
9 However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived –
the things God has prepared for those who love him”
I have seen, I have heard. I have had the absolute gift of watching the hand of God in my son’s life. Such an indescribable gift – beyond what I could have imagined.
When you are blessed with a child, you pray for their safety of mind, body and soul. You have such a desire to see them happy in life, well-adjusted, loved by others, part of a supportive community of friends and family. For me, in addition to all of that, I pray that my children would have a heart that yearns to live for God. So as parents we pray, we pray for all of this and much more.
I wonder if you would take a moment to peer with me and get a glimpse of the hand of God in the life of one of His children. One day when my son was in Grade 11, he told me that he wanted to be a doctor and he aspired to be an Oncologist or a Cardiologist. Little did I know that it was here that Ryan’s roller coaster ride of life would begin. In true “Ryan fashion” this young man began to pursue that goal with great vim and vigor.
During Ryan’s undergrad, he worked very hard, he had a clear-cut plan of how he was going to achieve his goal and he laid out all the steps perfectly, leaving no stone unturned. He knew what he had to do to get to where he wanted to be. But what he did not know was that God too had a plan for His child and guess what? They didn’t align. Throughout Ryan’s plan there were ups and downs, but he battled throughout and conquered his mountains. He graduated with an Honors double major in Pathology and Physiology with distinction. His degree coupled with the various other targets he had set out for himself put him in a good position indeed to achieving his goal – his plans seemed to be taking shape nicely. The moment in time eventually came when we were waiting to hear if Ryan received an interview from his medical school applications.
The storm was brewing, we waited thinking, “this child has done everything he needed to do, what more could anyone possibly ask of him?” He should have a good shot at getting an interview. To our great disappointment, the day came and went – no invitation for an interview was received. He was crushed, our hearts broke for him, we watched him suffer another heartache in his life. The sadness was unbearable, the storm raged, injustice flared like lightening, anger thundered in our minds and tears flowed like rain from all of us. In frustration we cried out “why not?” “this is so unfair” “why does he have to suffer and be denied his passionate pursuit?” And yet we knew, we had faith, God has a plan and there was a reason and a purpose – we just had no idea what it looked like. In our heart of hearts, we felt we knew God planted this seed in Ryan and he was made to pursue this. But God was whispering, “not yet”.
Fast forward to the following year, Ryan applied to numerous medical schools in Ontario, out East and out West hoping to get an interview – a chance. It didn’t matter to him where he was, he wanted so desperately to pursue his passion and his dream. We found ourselves back where we were a year ago, and so we prepared for the worst, but prayed for the best. And the storm of anxiety began to brew again, we all waited feeling clouds of uncertainty roll through our hearts. We prayed, we asked for prayers, we waited.
But this time God said, “yes”. We were so elated, words can’t describe the relief, the pure, unbridled joy!
There it was, it unfolded before my eyes, and I witnessed the hand of God in the life of my child. I saw the answered prayers of a child’s dream. I heard the celebration of others who surrounded us throughout these years. I realized my mind could not have conceived how the events would have unfolded to get us to this day. As I look back, I see the beauty of all that God did throughout the years. Every single one of those highs and the lows, each one with absolute purpose, beyond what we could imagine! And we arrived at that moment in time on that glorious day, it will be etched in my mind forever.
I was blessed to witness in the life of my child that His timing is not our timing, His way is not our way. God revealed the truth of His word to me again and again. Thanksgiving and joy continue to wash over me today and I celebrate – God’s plan, God’s way.
Isaiah 55:8-9 New International Version (NIV)
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
What we want to transpire in our lives and what God has planned for our lives can be two wildly different concepts. While in our hearts we may think we know what is best for ourselves and our children, only God knows and it is our faith in God that sees us through the challenging moments, full of emotion, let down and tears.
God tells us “my ways higher than your ways” – as I reflected, I marveled at what God had done through this process in Ryan’s life over the years. The fabric that God weaved to cover Ryan as a blanket of love during hard times and as a flag of victory in the joyous times is beyond my comprehension. The community of people who genuinely supported and cared about Ryan, it is remarkable, and God is the Master Weaver of this beautiful tapestry.
One of the things I shared with Ryan was this “I don’t doubt that at some point over the coming days you will reflect on all the people who were praying and supporting you. I think that if you could fully understand the scope of that group of individuals, you would be overwhelmed. You are so loved, by so many.” It is not by chance that we had so many people to share the good news with, God created a group of prayer warriors and others who came alongside us on the journey. They watched Ryan’s story through us, and while they did not all have a front row seat in the audience they all watched God’s show.
Our purpose on this planet is to share the good news of Christ. Our purpose is not about our worldly accomplishments, but observing the hand of God in the lives of His children while we are here, tells the most beautiful story of His love for us, His plan for us, and that one day all His children will marvel over what He has done for us, what He has given us beyond this world, beyond what we could think or imagine. No mind can conceive what God has planned for those that love Him.
I don’t know where God will take Ryan along His journey, but I pray that one day Ryan will look back and see the beautiful, loving hand of God in his life. I pray that one day praise will come from his lips, in awe and utter amazement at the depths of God’s love for His children. I pray that he too will marvel over the greatest gift of love that God has given His children – salvation through Jesus Christ, His only son. I pray this not only for Ryan, but for all of God’s children. Amen.