Grabbing for the pen

This is a pretty amazing time in my life. Its April and in less than two months, I will receive my PhD, get married, move to Richmond, and start a new job. My entire life is going to change over the span of a month and I couldn't be more excited about it! I know what's going to happen but what I'm not so clear on is how its going to happen. Back in January, I had it all figured out. I was going to have a job by February, I'd have my dissertation finished by the end of March, and I was going to spend my last month in Blackburg living it up in some kind of semi-vegetative state.

Well, that's not how things have panned out. The job search is going well, but noone wanted to hire me that early. My dissertation is going well, but I don't defend till April 22 (about a month "late"). I have no doubt that these things will happen but apparently my timing was off. Apparently, God had another Storyline in mind. My difference of opinion with God over this issue doesn't make me angry or distressed or anything really, but it has made me curious about where the differences in our two versions of my Story lay. God's version seems much more dramatic, with many things happening close together and perhaps a little to close to "the end" for my comfort. "That would make a great movie if we were in Hollywood God but this is my life," I think as I politely inform God of the "correct" timing for things. My version of The Story is comfortable and safe. It's predictable and I always end up living "happily ever after." Many times I've convinced myself that this is the story I want, this is the good story. And so as God is writing the Story of my life, I find myself many times trying to grab the pen out of his hands so I can take charge of the script.

But echoing down the halls of Scripture I hear a very different take on things. I hear Jesus saying that he "came" (was born, lived, taught, worked, died, came back from the dead) so I could have "life to the fullest" (John 10:10). I hear Jesus telling me, "I came to save you from a boring life, not to give you one." I realize that if the world were a theme park, my life is the rollercoaster not the lazy river. I know this and I've become more accustomed to this fact the longer I've known God. He surprised me, even scared me, at first when I found out God had a wild side. At first I was okay with God being the adventurous type - so long as he left me out of it. But then I realized he created me so I could go on the adventure with him. So I hear him again, even now, banging on my door and telling me its time for another adventure. My boring plans for the last few months of college are already shot anyways, I guess I'll go along with God and see how his version turns out...