Jeremiah 29:11

Ali Johnson considers how we find our worth and value

Alistair Johnson

I recently found myself in a little coffee shop in Chicago en route to a conference in St Louis, Missouri. My boss has this 'thing' about when we travel always drinking in none chain coffee shops and so we walked a little way and found this bar/coffee shop that 'caught our eye'.

Earlier on in the day we had been walking around in the Navy Pier area (a big conference venue on the shores of Lake Michigan), as we wandered around we saw a number of people who were there for auditions for The Voice TV show.

When we stepped foot into the Coffee Shop there were four ladies, two mothers and their daughters, at the counter and a man sitting next to them. We found ourselves a table and sat down. After a little while of chatting and drinking coffee, one of the young girls came over and asked us where we were from. We told her and she told us that she had auditioned for The Voice and been rejected for the second time. The young lady then proceeded to sing us the song she auditioned with, and then she sang another and another and another. It was 11 in the morning and the girl had one too many drinks already and was a little worse for wear. All of our hearts sank as we realised that this girl had placed all her dreams and self-worth into this one moment and it didn't go the way she planned! All her hopes and dreams were falling to pieces and all she needed was for someone to tell her that she was worth something.

We all have moments like that in our life, moments when we dreamed things would go a certain way and they didn't end up like we dreamt. In that moment all we need is for someone to tell us that everything is going to be ok. I found myself having a profound moment in the Little Coffee Shop in Chicago! God isn't interested in whether or not we get into The Voice, but instead is interested in our hearts. Freedom is found when we realise that God loves us no matter what we are, who we are, or even what we have done. Freedom is found at the cross. Freedom is found in Jesus.

I love this verse in Jeremiah 29:11, '"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 a future."' A while back I had my opinion of this verse transformed when someone pointed out to me that this verse says plans not plan. For many of us it can feel like God has a road map for our life and it is our job with some very clever guesswork to try and figure it out. If and when we find out the route that God has set us then we will be happy. My experience of God has been far from this; I have experienced a God who stands alongside us as we make decisions and journeys with us through them. I have experienced a God that offers me choice and will be in either of my decisions. There is no perfect route, but instead God wants us to experience the fullness of life and navigate our way through the options He has for us. We can pray and get guidance through His Word and advice off those we trust. Ultimately God wants the best for us, because He loves us and as we trust in Him, He will guide us through.

Who knew a little Coffee Shop could have so much effect. God always turns up in the unexpected places!