Vision: Day 7

Devotion by: Kara Haug

Jeremiah 29:11-14

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

I love this passage because it reminds me to dream and to trust in God.

I remember the first time I was introduced to the verse Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.” I was working at a summer Christian day camp for low-income families called SHARE, sponsored by the Salvation Army. I was out on the playground with around 100 kids and the other nine counselors playing. At a random moment, which we often experienced at that camp, a young boy named Zachary came up to me. He said, “We made these at my church yesterday and I thought you should have it.” He handed me a laminated leaf with the verse 29:11 printed neatly on top.

This was especially poignant to me because one, I am a lover of trees so the leaf itself spoke to me, but also within a few weeks I would be heading off to college, six hours away where I knew no one and to a school that was against my father’s wishes. I like to call that gift from Zachary a “God moment.” I still have that leaf. It travels between my planner and Bible.

Attending that college was one of the best things I have ever done. It was the first place I felt free and it became a place where I started my deep exploration of my faith. It also clarified the knowing I had all along that it was there that I needed to go. It was the silent “yes” that sounds off in your being when you know you are doing the best thing for yourself.

This passage reminds me to dream and trust God. I don’t have a hard time dreaming, I do it constantly. I even wrote poems about it in fourth grade, but I do have a hard time trusting. This is why verse 12 and 13 are so important. “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” I don’t necessarily believe that God has a map for my life, but I believe the plan that is set for me is when my heart, mind, and soul are in full communion with the Holy Spirit, even if it is for a split second.

When I am in constant communication with God is when my “God Moments” usually happen. This communication could fall into the categories of listening, unending prayer of fear and confusion, or giving thanks, or the moments when I am ticked off at God. It is in these times when I am getting close to my core, to that communion, and it was that small laminated leaf that opened me up to this process.

The plans God has for us are those silent “yeses” that quiet our being as if the whole universe aligns and makes perfect sense. Some of these times for me were: serving as a camp counselor; dancing in worship and helping others to move; sitting on a plane heading toward seminary in Berkeley; giving people the opportunity for their voices to be heard by leading a writing group; speaking painful truths to family members; and living daily in my marriage. By seeking God and our dreams, we are lead out of the captivity created by us and by our world. The plans God has for us are to live our dreams and to be our authentic selves while living in communion with God and His/Her creation.

PRAYER: Lord, today may I be in constant communication with you. I pray that I will seek what is inside of my heart to have a better understanding of myself and of you in my life. Thank you for living along side me and being a constant in my life. I pray for moments and opportunities where I can feel our communion. Amen.