It's Not Too Late - God Can Redeem Time, Opportunities, and Dreams
What if I told you that it wasn’t too late? That God could redeem the time you’ve lost and surpass your expectations with the time you have left?
For years I felt so far behind everyone else, and in a sense I was. I spent most of my teens and early twenties going through the motions. I was clinically depressed and made enough effort to appear “normal”, but I lacked the desire to do what most people my age were doing. My peers were learning to date, finding their identity, and pursuing their passions - but I was just trying to survive. I did what I needed to do - went to college, got an internship, landed a job - but I wasn’t living.
Fast forward a few years and it seemed like everyone knew the things I was only beginning to learn. I remember feeling so inadequate. I couldn’t help but admire what everyone else had accomplished (careers, businesses, marriages, adventures). It wasn’t supposed to be like this. This wasn’t the plan, but it was my reality. I felt late to the party, but the truth is I was exactly where I needed to be - in God’s will.
You see, you’re only behind if everyone is running the exact same race. The beautiful thing about God is that he’s given each of us our race and our own lane. The only person we need to keep up with is the Holy Spirit. If you’re in pace with God’s will, then you’re not behind. You’re right on time. Even if you were previously off-track or on a different path entirely.
God can redeem the time you’ve lost. Those years you were far from Jesus, the days when you were too ill or depressed to leave the house, the opportunities you had to sacrifice in order to take care of your family, or the youth you wasted in toxic relationships. Those dreams you had to defer or let go of altogether, God sees it all. He’s not callous to your pain or your past. You may be thinking, “Tiffanie, you don’t know my story. You don’t what I’ve been through”, and you’re right. I don’t know your story, but I do know the power of God. Nothing is too hard for Him.
“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? - Jeremiah 32:27
God can make a way in any situation; he can defy logic and time. I’ve seen it in my own life, in the lives of my friends, and all throughout scripture. I’ve seen Him heal cancer and restore life, open a womb after a decade of infertility, and completely restore broken relationships. I’ve read scriptures of Him fulfilling the promise of a son to a 100-year-old man, parting seas, closing the mouths of lions, and preserving men’s lives while they were in a furnace! This is the God we serve!
“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten- the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm[— my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, Joel 2:25-26
If you’re reading this then your story is not over. It doesn’t matter if your plans fell apart, if your not sure what your next step should be, or if you’ve made colossal mistakes. Look at the Apostle Paul. He persecuted followers of Christ, but after his conversion, God used him to write 1/3 of the New Testament. I’ve grown and accomplished more in 3 years than I did the 10 years before. I started this blog, traveled to 2 continents, changed careers, made amazing friendships, and discovered my purpose.
Know that your past, your mistakes, and your sin don’t limit you once you’re surrendered to Christ. Don’t look back and dwell on what could’ve been, and don’t look around at what everyone else is doing. Look up and ahead. Focus on Christ, the author and perfecter of your faith (Heb. 12:2).
I encourage you to let go of your timeline, self-imposed deadlines and submit to God’s will. Hold nothing back. He will prepare and restore you. He’ll heal you and give you exactly what you need. God’s plan for your life may not look the way you dreamed, but don’t let that discourage you. God has the power to exceed your dreams. What we can imagine is limited, but what God can accomplish is not.
