This week I was made aware of the opening pages of Ronald Reagan’s autobiography, An American Life. In it he writes, “I was raised to believe that God had a plan for everyone and that seemingly random twists of fate are all a part of His plan. My mother, a small woman with auburn hair and a sense of optimism that ran as deep as the cosmos, told me that everything in life happened for a purpose. She said all things were part of God’s plan, even the most disheartening setbacks, and in the end, everything worked out for the best. If something went wrong, she said, you didn’t let it get you down: You stepped away from it, stepped over it, and moved on. Later on, she added, something good will happen and you’ll find yourself thinking, ’If I hadn’t had that problem back then, then this better thing that did happen wouldn’t have happened to me.’ After I lost the job at Montgomery Ward, I left home again in search of work. Although I didn’t know it then, I was beginning a journey that would take me a long way from Dixon and fulfill all my dreams and then some. My mother, as usual, was right.”
From Montgomery Ward to the White House is a fairly big step. What is important for all of us is to acknowledge that God does have a plan for each of us and it is for our good. We do need to believe it and live into it. I hope today’s message helps us get our head and heart around that promise.
Blessings,
Rick