Discovering the need

When i was in college I was pretty sure that I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I was studying psychology and feeling good about it. Even after I spent a year on the road doing youth ministry events I was still set to continue my study to be a christian counselor. I prayed about it and I asked God to direct me to the best school for me to pursue my education. I found a program in Denver that I was really interested in and proceeded to register and moved my belongings to colorado. I loved the campus, the teachers, classes, the worships were amazing. I was living in a town house instead of a dorm room, and I have never had to much trouble with roommates. The problem was I just couldn't get settled emotionally. I began to have what I could only think of a panic attacks. I began to cry when i got up in the morning and it would stop until I left the house, then until I got to class. And this is all happening within the first week.

I though that I was maybe just missing my girlfriend at the time, now my wife. As I thought through just moving to be closer to her that wasn't it. Then I thought maybe God has different plans for my life. And sure enough as I prayed through a vocational change it became clear that he had intentions for me to change from psychology to theology.

I found my self wondering though. God why did you bring me all the way to colorado? Why not tell me before I came here so I could have skipped this whole thing. I didn't need to move enroll in school for a week and then move again. But it turns out that I did need to do those things. God had in mind for me what I needed, but he had to put me through this process so that I would know that I needed as well.

I was reading Genesis 2 this morning. It describes the creation of Adam in more detail. He was formed from the dust out side of the garden just as all the other animals and birds were. But God knew it was not good for man to be alone. So he placed him in the garden and had him meet and name all of the animals. Can you imaging how long that took to meet and name all the animals? However long it took, at the end of meeting all the animals it was clear that no suitable partner had been found. God knew this all along. But Adam didn't. Adam needed to know his need.

Once Adam recognized his need then God created Eve from his rib and when she was presented to him, he responds with, "this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. For this reason a man with leave his father and mother and a woman leave her home and the two shall be joined together as one flesh." For this reason? For what reason? Because he saw all the other options, all the other animals and none were right. So of course for this reason woman will be the one that he is united with. No other would work. God knew this from the beginning, but Adam needed to learn it.

It took me a while to figure out what God already had in mind for my life. I needed a detour through Colorado to get to michigan, through psychology to get to theology and it turned out to be the shortest line between two points. Weird huh?

Maybe next time you can't seem to figure out why in the world you are where you are when you thought God lead you there, you just might be discovering your need. The need you didn't even know you had.