Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
Exodus 3:1-3 (NIV)

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
Matthew 4:18-20 (NIV)

Did you ever have a year that didn't quite turn out like you expected?  I know I've had a few of those.

The year I turned 18 (a looooong time ago) I had it all planned out.  I was graduating high school in June, would start college full time that fall and stay in until I received my degree four years later.  I did graduate, but when my father disappeared two weeks later, it completely changed the rest of the script.  I was on my way to working full time, attending school part-time on financial aid, and moving from a house that would soon be foreclosed to a small apartment I shared with my disabled mother.

Then there was 1992, when I was trying to juggle working as the accountant at my church with taking care of my mother, who was just coming out of a stay in a nursing home and receiving kidney dialysis treatments three times a week.  Within a two week period in October of that year, I was fired, my mother passed away, and I met Bette, who I would be married to for over eleven years.  Trust me, none of that was planned when the year started.

More recently, my world was rocked again in 2004.  Still married to Bette, both of us non-practicing Roman Catholics, life was pretty quiet until she passed away in October.  By the end of 2004, I had met Brenda and was participating in a small, Charismatic open and affirming church with a gay pastor, Apostle Dale.  I can assure you I NEVER saw that coming.

These events were not only the most significantly life-changing I've experienced, but also the most important.  Each time I lost a very important loved one, God opened another door that brought maturity, growth, and eventually a closer and stronger relationship with Him. 

Being thrust into unscheduled manhood when my dad left was critical to my maturation process and taught me the importance of a work ethic and perseverance at a relatively young age.  When I lost my mother, I was freed to explore and develop the relationship with Bette in ways I wouldn't have otherwise.  I had my first experience in giving and receiving unconditional love with her and was richly blessed by our time together.  When she passed away, the Lord wasted no time in connecting me with Brenda and moving into that space I had opened up in my heart one night when I turned to Him in the depths of despair and asked the question He had been waiting to hear from me for a long time; "What do you want me to do with my life now, Lord?"  He took the weakness and vulnerability I felt then and turned it into strength in Him than I could share with others.  The love I received from Brenda was and continues to be a critical part of keeping me spiritually and emotionally nourished yet still hungry to grow.

I'm willing to bet that some of you reading this have had that type of year in 2010, while others of you may have one in the recent past that you are still trying to sort out and understand what path it should result in taking your life toward.

Moses certainly had his spells of that after he encountered the burning bush described in Exodus one day when he was minding his own business.  You don't have to be a theologian to conclude that, up to that point in his life, Moses never saw himself as the man who would lead the liberation of the Jewish nation from slavery to Egypt.  I think you be just as confident that Simon Peter and Andrew didn't say to each other over breakfast the morning before Jesus called them that they expected to not only bump into the savior of the world but then to drop everything and follow Him, then carry on His work after He was crucified.  In both cases, God used their willingness to serve Him and radically change their lives to richly bless not only them but millions of people throughout history.

The bible tells us that our thoughts are not God's thoughts, and I'm glad for that.  I sure hope He can come up with a better plan than I can, and He has shown that in my life time and time again.  Even through tragedy and great uncertainty, He showed me a path to success, a path to love, and most importantly, a path to Him.

As we look back on 2010 and begin 2011, I encourage you to connect the dots of events in your life, those you've celebrated and those you've mourned, and see what path God has laid out for you, then dedicate the new year to following it.  If you make that choice I can guarantee two things; (1) there will be bumps in the road and (2) the effort to plow through them will result in blessings that will be well worth it.

I hope everyone enjoys a blessed 2011.  Happy New Year!