God's Will is NOT Best for You

     As someone who grew up in church, I have constantly heard that God's will is the best place for me to be; that if I entrust everything I am to the Creator of the universe and walk in His plans for me, I won't have to face any inconveniences. In some ways, this misconception led me into a mindset where coming face-to-face with minor 'troubles' meant that I was not in God's will; and boy, was I wrong. While I don't disagree with the fact that God's will is ultimately where we should be, I will say this: God's will is not best for you...if you want to be comfortable.
     I think any minister's family could tell you that, on occasion, being in God's will means being inconvenienced. Sometimes it means being broke down on the side of the road (more on that later) or giving away a beloved possession or showing love to someone you'd rather be showing your fighting skills to. Sometimes it takes sacrifice. And that is TOTALLY uncomfortable. I mean, who does God think He is, requiring us to sacrifice and stuff...?**
     1 Timothy 2:4 says that God wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. Let me tell you, He has some strange ways of getting everyone saved, a lot of which involve sacrifice on our part.
     For example: the other day, my parents drove an hour to come pick me up from a friends' church. We had just eaten lunch when I got a text from our worship leader asking if I would be at our home church that night, because our drummer went missing (or just went to a concert, but making it sound as if she went missing is a lot more interesting) and she needed me to fill in. Seeing that it was only 2:00 and church started at 6:00, I told her I'd be there with time to spare, which would most likely be spent ingesting any caffeine I could find because early mornings and I don't mix very well.
      By the time we left the restaurant, it was around 2:30. We got about 10-15 miles out of town when we realized, while rounding a corner, we had a flat tire. While my dad called a tow truck, I sat there thinking: No biggie, they'll come get us in no time. But no, they didn't follow my plan. They told us it would be about an hour before they could come get us, and it was already 3:00.

I'm not in this picture because I was mad and
ready to fight anyone who tried to make me
 feel otherwise.

      I was livid. How did they not know that their schedule revolved around my plans? While I angrily leaned up against a tree, my family decided to make the best of the free time we had been given and stood on the edge of the road like statues, waiting for cars to pass. I am willing to admit that I was a party pooper that day and very annoyed at the fact that my family was having fun in the midst of my 'misery,' so I stayed hidden from my mom's camera.
      The tow truck finally arrived at 4:30. When he realized there were five of us and one extra seat in his truck, he had to call his coworker with a larger cab. I definitely wasn't making it to church. We waited another 20 minutes for him to get there and, in those minutes of extra waiting, I'm pretty sure Anger from "Inside Out" became the sole controller of my emotions. I got into the truck and suspected that the 'worst day of my life' would never come to a close.
       Then, something crazy happened. My dad began to talk to this truck driver and found that he had recently lost someone close to him. My dad turned the conversation to Christ, to which Mr. Truck Man (definitely not his actual name) replied: "I love religious music, just not religion or religious people." Suddenly, I realized why our tire decided to be flat that day: it was God's will. You see, while I desperately wanted to be beating my heart out on a drum, God desperately wanted my family and I to be softening the heart of Mr. Truck Man. While he may not have rededicated his life during our 10-minute drive to Walmart, I believe that God used us to help get him closer to that point.
        Though that was my main 'aha moment' of the day, we also got to minister to the mechanics that worked on our car at Walmart. I also got a new coffee maker, but that's beside the point. The point of this is this: God's will isn't the force that builds our happiness; it is the force that builds His kingdom. The next time you're inconvenienced, recognize that it may be God's will and then let Him use you. Like my dad always says, 'turn your adversity into adventure.' (Don't let him know that I used a quote of his in a post, then he'll think he's cool and stuff.)
        Despite the fact that I still like to make my own plans, I always have to remind myself that Proverbs 16:9 says: 'We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps" (NLT). At the end of the day, the plans we make for ourselves cannot even compare to God's will for us; so don't get discouraged when you're faced with problems, because God is using you, my friend. So you go rock that opportunity like no other!
     

**sarcasm was used in the making of this sentence