What a difference a year makes

This Sunday, the 4th September, marks one year since I took the full position of leading our church and started writing these blog posts a couple of weeks later. This Sunday is also our churches anniversary and we will mark the fact that people have met in the same building for 112 years with a celebration and then enjoy lunch together. Both of these facts put me in a mood of reflection today as I look back on a year and wonder what the next one may hold.

For me this last year has been one of learning many lessons, not least that things wont always happen in the ways or to the timescale that I have planned. I remember clearly standing in the pulpit at church and sitting in a number of meetings talking about a vision for the year ahead and honestly believing that everything was suddenly about to change. A year on, things have definitely changed, but not necessarily to my plans or ideas. Things are certainly moving and progressing very well but I have realised very quickly that God's plans are much better than mine and things work much better when He is in control.

This is a lesson that I am starting to learn in so many areas of my life and one which could ring true for us all. As we go though our busy lives, rushing from one problem to the next, it often seems like everything that possibly can go wrong, does. But when we stop and take a look at how we get into these problems I suspect, if you're anything like me, that in the majority of cases we've been the cause of the problem in the first place.

When I lean on my own understanding, trust in my own abilities and try to function in my own way too much things generally get more than a little messy. When I realise that I need God, my loving Father, to guide, direct and steer my life and trust in Him over myself, then things tend to work out much more sucessfully.

I hope and pray that this time next year I can look back and say that God was in control more often than Chris was and thank Him for showing me much greater success than I ever could have imagined on my own.

I pray that you all will look on life in the same way.

Have a great day

God bless

Chris