There are always fun adventures working at camp. One of the most recent adventures included a couple of swans that were donated to camp.
After learning that swans need to live in an enclosed space for a few weeks when they're in a new environment, the guys set up a fence in the lake for the new family members.
Side note, the swans were named Jack and Diane after John Mellencamp's song. But don't feel bad if you have no idea who that is – I didn't until these swans came into our lives, which resulted in gasps and wide eyes of unbelief.
After a few weeks, the big moment of cutting the fence came, and we all excitedly gathered around the enclosure. It was like Jack and Diane knew something was up, because they began to press against the fence, appearing frightened.
The boys cut away at the fence and began pulling at it, creating an opening. With bated breath, we all watched as the swans ... went to the opposite corner of the cut-away fence. What were they doing?
They were so nervous about all the attention and now cheers and instructions from these well-meaning humans, that they pushed harder and harder against the other end of the fence. Soon, feathers were flying off from their struggle.
With one side of the fence still in the ground and the other side in the hand of one of the guys who cut the fence, the opening grew larger as he pulled at it, hoping Jack and Diane would see the opening and swim under it. As he pulled the fence higher, the side in his hand twisted upwards, giving Jack the chance he had been looking for.
But instead of swimming under the fence where the opening was, Jack stepped on top of the side of the fence that was twisted upwards, and he started climbing up the fence, wings beating furiously.
At this, we all burst into laughter. His attempt to climb higher was painful to watch, but he eventually made it up and over with Diane close behind him. Talk about working harder, not smarter!
And yet there was something vaguely familiar about the situation. This might be a stretch, but bear with me.
We can all struggle with feeling trapped where we are in the present. The next step couldn't feel farther away from us at times. It's like we've been swimming around in this fenced-off section of a lake. We can see what's out there: a big, beautiful lake. It looks endless from where we are.
But this fence called the present. It's holding us back from something amazing. We don't know why we're trapped here. We're told it's only for a time, that it won't always be like this. Do we really believe that?
I was struggling with contentedness one afternoon more so than normal, and God spoke to me in a quiet whisper. He said, "If only you knew what I had planned for you."
Wow. I was not expecting that. Like Jack and Diane, I could not see the whole picture. I still don't know what the future holds.
But I know one thing. I won't fight against the fence. When God's perfect timing opens the hole in the fence, I won't be so obsessed with getting out of my current circumstance that I miss the opening. I don't want to search so desperately for a way out that I leave God out of the equation and make my own plans for the future.
Not only does that make everything more dramatic and much harder, but it tells God that I think I know better than He does. How arrogant does that sound?
Also, I want to point out that if we look at our circumstances, we'll see how blessed we truly are. God does not just drop us somewhere and expect us to tread water. There are always people, places and situations to be thankful for.
So what is your fence? Is it your singleness? Your job? Your neighborhood? Whatever it may be, know that God desires for you to hear one thing: If only you knew what He had planned for you. Maybe then we would stop struggling, and we would enjoy the here and now.
"'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 a hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11
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