Possiblities....

The best thing about dogs?  They are always positive something good could happen at any moment.  The eternal optimism is an uplifting reminder to me that with God, anything can happen.  He is not limited, as we are.  The sky is not the limit - there are no limits to what God can do.

The world is becoming a scarier place right now.  While preaching tolerance, a new intolerance has taken hold that demands conformance to the single view point of the loudest voice of the moment.  We no longer discuss, we argue and harangue.  We don't allow others to have their own perspective - if they disagree, they are discriminating.  Opinion is fact, but only when its ours.

We see this play out in a multitude of ways across the world, and not just in the heinous barbarity going on in the Middle East.  If we do not embrace alternative lifestyles, if we hunt,  if we use fur, women staying home to raise their children, breastfeeding, not breastfeeding - everything is a cause to protest or attack.  If we firmly discipline our children instead of indulge their every whim, we are now reviled.  Morality is old fashioned, and living on the edge isn't just accepted but expected.  In the quest for tolerance, we have become intolerant of any way of thinking other than our own.

Although it sounds dramatic in black and white, I think Satan is gaining ground in our world, and he is celebrating the uncertainty.  We have pushed God away, and Satan has greedily taken advantage of the void.  Just as gang members have said they join to find a family, because anything is better than nothing, so too do people slip into Satan's snare while looking for something, anything, to hold onto.

Humans are weak.  We are impatient.  We are imperfect.  Satan not only knows that about us, but takes advantage of our weaknesses to claim us for his own.  When we look to other humans for the answers, we will always be disappointed, because humans are limited, finite and inherently flawed.

God knew this, even as he created us.  But his plan was not to create a being that mindlessly followed, unthinking and incapable of rebellion.  God had a big plan, one that allowed for failure.  He gave us free will, to choose him over all other options.  In choosing God, we reach beyond human limitations.  In following his plan, we embrace the unknown.  In holding fast to his promises, we allow him to work in ways we couldn't even dream of.

God even allowed for our failure by sending us Jesus to take our place, to save our sorry selves from the bad choices he knew would make.  Jesus is the ultimate example of God's limitless understanding.

In Matthew 19:26 we read,
"Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

When life is overwhelming, when the road is twisted and we can't see a clear way ahead, there is one guide that will never fail us.  God will lead us through our fallen human condition and into the realm of his divine purpose.  It is not just a promise, it is played out every day for those who trust in him to lead their lives.  The path is not always smooth, the way is not always clear, sometimes it is difficult to see what he wants from us, but in the end, his plan for our life, though unexpected, will always be perfect.

Embrace this day, and dare to believe in the possibilities with God.  His plan will reach beyond your dreams, and his reality will be better than you could imagine.