God Has a Plan for All of Us

"In his heart a man plans his course,

but the Lord determines his steps."

Proverbs 16:9

I have gone through several phases in my life where I have been really strong in my relationship with the Lord, and then others where I have not, one of those times being in middle school and currently  now.  What caused me to deviate from that strong relationship at times in my life I am not sure, whether it be my focus was somewhere else such as school or relationships.  

When I was in school I remember that my ultimate goal was to eventually own my own personal training business.  I was going to have this wonderful business and be happy.  I love helping people reach their goals.  While in college I found out I have another passion, CrossFit, and made up my mind that I wanted to own my own CrossFit box.  I still won't tell anyone the name just in case I end up doing this one day, and even then hope the name isn't taken.  Well, a couple months before graduating I started helping some Air Force recruiters.  They were being in recruits to be tested that were wanted to join the AF Special Forces.  And man o man were did some of their guys need help with their swimming, so that is what I started doing.  I worked with some of the recruits and even the recruiters on their swimming, and that is when I found my passion for working with the military!

Two of the recruiters that came into the pool to test.
They came to Checkers Shootout competition
to support and recruit.

So Where Exactly Am I Going With All This?

About a month ago I had someone tell me, more or less fuss at me, for my belief that God has a plan for all of us.  They were upset with me for what they refused to tell me and kept telling my that my believing that me saying that I believe God has a plan as plan for us was basically a lie.  We determine out destiny.

Now granted, I agree with him to a point.  We have our goals and dreams that we set for ourself and if we do nothing to go after those dreams and goals then yes we will never reach them.  But along the way and my passions for my ultimate dream job I have learned that through reading my Bible, God does have an ultimate plan for all of our lives!

The picture above shows where my passion lies, in God and fitness, but working with the Air Force recruits has really brought out my passion for the military.  I have always loved them in some form or another since I was 12.  I applied for a job as a Health Educator with the US Army and by some chance of luck and so many prayers was offered the job.  I felt that God had really answered my prayers.  He has put me in a community and atmosphere of people that I love.  Unfortunately, as many of you are reading this and may already know about my job, it did not work out.  It helped me realize that yes, I love helping people reach their goals, but through a more hands on approach.  So I started back to personal training and CrossFit coaching.  

I pray every day that God will lead me on the right path for my career and that it will lead me to a life that glorifies him not only in my every day life, but also through my passion for fitness.  

Right now I have the biggest desire to want to work with the military population, but I am not sure exactly how I am suppose to do that.  I feel like this is where I am suppose to be placed, but like Proverbs 16:9 says

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."

I know what my heart wants for me as far as my career goes at the current moment.  I want to work in the fitness industry but be directly in the loop with the military and working with them.  But his may not be what God has planned for me in the long run, and what I am doing currently is just a stepping stone to getting me there. 

Another verse that just re-enforces that point is

Proverbs 19:21

"Many are the plans in a man's heart,

but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

I have so many plans for my life in my heart, but God has his ultimate purpose for me in life that might now even be what I have planned for myself right now.  God could want me working in a completely different area than what I am in right now in my life. 

So if you aren't sure if God has a plan for all of us, the answer is YES, he ultimately has a plan for all of us.  And in some way or another is it meant to glorify him.  I hope that one day he will settle my heart's desire into what his purpose and plan is for me in life.  I pray every time that he allows me to share my passion for him through my passion for fitness.

I just have to keep in mind that no matter what happens currently in my life, the good times and the struggles, the Lord has put them in my path for a reason.  To learn from them, grow from them and do what he has planned for me.  And those things might not even be for my career; those things could just be his way of helping me build a stronger relationship with him.
So to the person who has told me that we determine our own destiny and what becomes of our life, yes you are right to a point.  We have the choice to chase our dreams for our future, but ultimately God has a greater plan for our lives no matter how much further or shorter down the road they may be than whatever plan we could have for ourselves. 

A tattoo I got at age 20 to remind me of all the big dreams
that I have for my life and that I can reach those dreams.