God Laughs

Almost everyone has heard the quote "We plan, God laughs". I feel that He's laughing now. This past Sunday there were so many indications of how much bigger HIS plans are than I could ever imagine. As a point of clarification, I don't imagine God laughing in a sarcastic or sadistic "Haha, I've trumped ya" kind of manner. I feel it's the gentle laugh of a father who says "Ahh, but I have something so much better in mind." Our pastor's wife is terminally ill with cancer. I don't think God is laughing at their situation, but I do see that their earthly plans have been completely obliterated. They are now planning a funeral. How does that work? In our Sunday School class, we began a new study. I don't have the author's information so I will have to credit the study in a future post, but the beginning emphasis of the study really follows the "plan" dilemna. The author stated that the most important spiritual act we can "do" is "CHOOSE". Choose? What does THAT mean? Then we delved into various scriptures about how one seemingly tiny choice can have life altering implications. Do we listen to God's direction and choose wisely or do we choose rashly or selfishly or even mindlessly and "just do it"? What are the ramifications of our daily choices? Do we choose out of fear or faith? I never contemplated that the act of choosing is spiritual. My self analysis disclosed that at times, I "act" out of habit without much thought at all. So is that still "choosing"? We are stressing making wise choices with Sam in conjunction with the character traits that his school is focusing on. God seemed to be saying to me "What are YOU choosing?" over and over and over to me on Sunday. Am I choosing to realize all that is around me? Am I choosing to be thankful for everything? Am I choosing to let God be God? Am I choosing or am I just "saying it" because it "sounds spiritual"? Saul chose to make a sacrifice on his own when he was out battling the Philestines. Seems like "the right thing to do", right? Nope. He was told to wait for the priest. Because of that wrong choice, the kingdom was removed from Sauls lineage. Wow. There are so many things that are seemingly up in the air. For someone who likes to have all the answers and spends tons of time "mulling" and "trying to get the answers right" ahead of time, this whole choice aspect was a completely new revelation. Our pastor and his wife are a great testimony to how choices can affect more than what is visible at the moment. Their choice in planning a celebration of God's goodness through this earthly suffering communicates more than any sermon or any spiritual "how to book". My own choices need to be made through more listening and less "muilling". I need to CHOOSE to let God make the plans. Maybe then I can laugh WITH God when I see HIS plans realized in my life. Not an obnoxious "HARDY HAR HAR" kind of laugh, but a soft "Wow, God! This is great!" kind of chuckle that resonates deep within my soul.