Coincidence or God's Plan.

Do you ever just stop and think about your life?   Do you wonder how people cross your path?   Could it be coincidence or is it God's plan?   Do you just happen to meet someone from another state or another country or did God put them in your path for a specific reason?  These are the things that wandered through my mind as I was waking up this morning.   My husband is in south Alabama hunting for wild pigs.  So, Sophie (the dog) and I are home alone, and God woke me up with these thoughts running through my mind.   

I don't know that I believe in coincidence.   It all to perfectly falls into place to be coincidence.  Romans 11:36 "For from him and through him and to him are all things.  To him be the glory forever! Amen"  Take for example, my life with Greg.   I wasn't looking for a husband or even a boyfriend for that matter when he came along, but I was praying if God wanted me to have another man in my life to send me a Godly man.   But...God knew that I needed him.  The Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11-13, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and FUTURE.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will LISTEN to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."   So, God hears us when we speak and we will find him when we seek him.  

What are the chances that a guy from Canton, Ohio and a girl from Pell City, Alabama would "coincidentally" end up meeting and falling in love.  If it were just people swirling around in this big world, I would say that the chance were very, very, very, very, very, VERY slim!!!!  There are millions of people roaming around millions of miles of ground.  It would be like an ant from Florida meeting up with an ant from Alaska - probably not going to happen easily.   However, it happens everyday for people around this planet. 

I don't believe that my life story is a coincidence.  I believe that things fell into place just the way that they were supposed to.   How else could you explain a divorced guy from Canton, Ohio moving to Birmingham, AL for a job.  He lost that job, but didn't return to Ohio, but found another job in Mobile, Alabama (but commuted from Birmingham to work).   Could it be coincidence that a company that he purchased from in Brompton, Alabama invited him to come and tour the plant and before he headed up he just happened to throw some resumes on the motorcycle?   While at the plant, they just happened asked him if he was looking for a job, and he just happened to have his resumes and interviewed while there?   A few weeks later, he is offered the job.   Could it be coincidence that the same guy moves his camper, truck and motorcycle to a small campground in Riverside, Alabama to be closer to new work?  While driving down 231, his truck breaks down in front of Jacks Restaurant on a Thursday evening (Bike Night), and some Christian Motorcycle Association guys helped to push his bike out of the road.  While talking to the guys, he learns that one of them was from Ohio and lived in the same small campground.   They became friends and started to ride a little together.  The new Ohio friend is seeing a lady named Faye.   She decides that she needs to help Greg find a lady friend to go out to dinner with or ride the motorcycle with (because Greg wasn't looking for a relationship - just a friend).   Faye just happens to live across the street from a younger widow lady (ME!!).   She approached me about the possibility of giving Greg my number.  I said yes, but really wanted to throw up (read the previous posts!  LOL!).  On 7/16/15, we met for a soda and to talk.   A month and a half later, we were engaged, and 3 months and 6 days from our first meeting, we were married.  The rest of the story is pretty awesome too.  It all just fell into place too perfectly for it to be just coincidence.  It had to be JUST GOD!!

I believe that God brings people into our lives for a reason.  Some are for the long haul and some are for short seasons.   Some people are there to teach us to be weak and some are to teach us to be strong.  Some are there to teach us to be accepting and some people are there to teach us to guard our hearts.   God loves us so much more than we can comprehend. He wants us to be holy (more than happy), but he also gave us free will which means that many times we disappoint him, but he loves us anyway.
John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him".
Stop thinking of things as coincidental.  Start thinking of them as God directed!  I can't understand how he loves me so much...but I am so thankful for it!
  
SIDE NOTE:  If you have a good husband (or wife) who supports and loves you (good and bad), don't take them for granted.  Love and appreciate them for the man (or woman) that they are and the love and support that they give you.  
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy,  it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."  
Colossians 3:12-14 "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
1 Peter 4:8 "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. 
I often fail at the true meaning of love, but I am thankful that my husband has a forgiving heart. 

I know of several people that are getting divorces right now.  Satan is working to breaking up marriages and families.  I'm blessed with a husband that supports my in anything that I want to do.  He tells me I'm beautiful daily and he loves me through the good and bad.   I try and do the same for him, but if we don't work at these things daily, the Devil will find a weakness in that marriage and he will work to make it crumble. We all need to work to keep Christ the center of our marriages and families.  Ecclesiastes 4:12 says "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three is not quickly broken."

I pray that God uses this post to make you reflect on the "coincidences" in your life.   Maybe thinking about the small things that brought everything perfectly in place will help you see how God had a hand in every small thing in your life.  He isn't just interested in our big and bad issues.  He loves us so much he is interested and involved in even the smallest issues.   THIS IS JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF BRENDAK's Blessed life!  God Bless You all!