So I'm on a Mountaintop Right Now...

We probably all thought life would get easier as we grew up. We'd be wiser, richer, better-looking, and braver. Pretty sure that two steps out of high school dashed all hopes of being suave, sophisticated, and sweet. But it's neat to see how God changes our hopes and expectations, and how they turn out to be even better than what we'd originally had our minds set on. I'm just thinking in my life how I used to be so shy I wouldn't even respond when someone said hi to me...I used to think I'd be happily dating or married by now, settled in a money-making writing career with a reliable car and beautiful house. And that dream wasn't just as a child. I pretty much had that one right up until a year ago! Anyway, my point is...I didn't automatically lose my shyness when I grew up. None of my white picket-fence dreams have come true, and in fact, sometimes it seems like God isn't just ignoring my dreams...He's squeezing the life out of me and letting me fall into pits so deep I can't see the light above. But somehow, I've come to realize that this "life-to-the-fullest" means more to me than any "dream-come-true" life ever could. Because of God's (sometimes tough) unconditional love and supernatural patience, my goals and desires have changed dramatically and I am more at peace with myself than I ever imagined possible. Life is far more intense, exciting, painstaking, and rewarding than my adolescent brain could have ever dreamed, and it's all to God's glory. His lessons are hard, but in the end there is so much change deep inside that we can't help but rejoice and be glad. What an incredible God! He knows us so well and knows exactly what we need.
This ramble came about because of a passage in Psalm 66:10-12, 20:
"For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance...Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!"