So Much More

Bethany Lethbridge

Our family has an honorary member. He doesn't look much like us. Truth be told, he is not much to look at anymore. He is dirty, he has noticeable stitches in three different places, and a lot of his fur is missing. He is a stuffed monkey, and, in many ways, he is my eldest daughter's best friend. She is three.

I had originally bought this monkey for my husband back when we were dating. He had mentioned that monkeys were his favourite animal and that he wished he had one as a pet growing up. Little did we know that this stuffed animal, an initial thoughtful gesture, would one day become a beloved and integral part of our daughter's life.

Though this monkey was originally intended for my husband, it has now become my daughter's. While it probably initially sat on a shelf collecting dust, it now goes everywhere with my daughter. He is her constant companion. This monkey has become so much more valuable and meaningful than I had anticipated when I purchased him roughly seven years ago. My vision for this monkey was so limited, and he has greatly surpassed it. Life is so interesting!

This little stuffed monkey reminds me that God's plans for us are far greater than our own. Our vision is limited by so many factors, whereas His is limitless. He is eternal. He was and is and is to come.

We don't always know how God is going to use us, where certain paths will lead. How often do we get somewhere in life and wonder how we actually got there?

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman, 'Glorious Unfolding,' that I find so encouraging. Please listen to it if you have a chance. Part of the lyrics include:

'And this is going to be a glorious unfolding
Just you wait and see and you will be amazed
You've just got to believe the story is so far from over
So hold on to every promise God has made to us
And watch this glorious unfolding'

God will use you in surprising and wonderful ways for His glory and your good and the good of others.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." ISAIAH 55:9