This may be the most challenging path on the journey to restoring hope. More than a change of focus and attitude, the “O” path calls for forward movement: Open your Heart to God’s Opportunities. It asks us to trust God’s plans.

“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

We love these words from Jeremiah 29:11… until we are asked to step into the unknown. But what’s the alternative for broken people? Remain where we are, weeping and regretting? Prosperity, hope, and a future are plans we cannot afford to ignore. Let’s trust God.

God never changes, but His methods are fluid, and His timelines are His secret. Will we be open enough, flexible enough, daring enough to follow Him into uncharted territory?… 

When God entrusts us with visions and dreams, they are not ours to mold according to our understanding. They are His to unfold in His time, according to His wisdom. He often inspires dreams for reasons we don’t understand, and when He brings us down an unexpected path, we have a choice. We can yield to our fears and seal the door of our hearts, or in faith, we can throw the door open and invite the Spirit to accomplish purposes known only to Him. Every twist, diversion, or detour leads to a future He alone sees. Hiding behind the safety of closed doors will rob us of the joy of obedience…

The good plans God prepared for us need space and freedom to grow. He doesn’t impose them on us—we need to accommodate them and rid ourselves of emotional chaos. If former hopes and dreams have changed, it’s time to clean house and make room for the new…

My testimony is this:

An open heart became an open door for God’s opportunity, and hope persevered through the darkness.

I hope this encourages you to trust God in the unknown and step into your future.

Excerpts from I Was Broken, Too, chapters five and six.
Image by Cara Shelton from Pixabay

Now available on Amazon:
I Was Broken, Too: Four Paths to Restore Hope
Finding Hope: 65 Meditations for a Broken Heart