Are you growing restless with your life?

Sometimes in life we get restless. Sometimes we look around at all the opportunities there are in the world, all the places to go, careers to hold, houses to live in, then we look around at our lives and we start to want. Maybe we want more, maybe we just want something different, but we start to become dissatisfied with what we’ve got.

There are times when want – and the drive to get – are good. Top doctors, politicians and others in high up roles wouldn’t have got where they are without drive and ambition and, whatever you might think of individuals, society needs people filling those roles.

But sometimes we get so focused on what we don’t have, or the jobs we could do, that we lose sight of the things we do have, the jobs we are in and the unique position we are in to do things that no other person can do.

Each of us our own personal frontline – a position in which God has placed us from which we can fulfil the tasks He has set out for us. Whether that’s a paid job, a voluntary role or something else, it’s where God has placed us for a season.

Some seasons are short, some longer, but each is unique. Some of us will find ourselves moving jobs quite often, bringing us regularly into contact with new people. Others will stay in one job for much longer, giving us the chance to build longer-lasting relationships with those around us. Whichever applies to each of us, the frontlines we find ourselves on bring us into contact with people and, sometimes without us realising it, give us chances to positively impact people’s lives.

I know there have been times when I’ve grown frustrated with where I have found myself in life and started to hope for change. And there have been many times when, almost as soon as I have started to think like that, God has stopped me in my tracks and thrown up a situation or circumstance that has told me, loud and clear, that I am right where He wants me to be to do His work, even if in earthly terms it doesn’t seem ideal. And I know there have been times when I’ve risked missing opportunities to do that work because I’ve been so focused on wishing I was somewhere else.

I’m fortunate that God so often gives me clear signs and demonstrations to make me see what I need to see, whether it’s an opportunity to share His message through my day-to-day life or a chance to draw alongside some in their hour of need. I know that there are plenty of people who don’t receive such clear communication and for whom discerning God’s intention in a given situation can be more difficult.

But Proverbs 19:21 tells us, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” And I think that’s just as well, as the plans of my heart are so often flawed, or self-focused, and always borne out of the very limited perspective I have on life and the world, whereas His plans bring about such opportunity and such fulfilment.

So if you’re feeling frustrated with where you find yourself in life, before you start trying to move mountains to bring about the change you think you want, why not take time to focus on God, seek His wisdom about His plans for your life and see if you can find out where you truly need to be? I might be different from where you think you should be or want to be, but ultimately I know from experience that it will be so much more fruitful.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths.” Sometimes it’s not easy to see through circumstances but in everything, good and bad, I know God loves me and has my best interests at heart.

Sarah Moore is the author of For the Love of Lentil, A journey of longing, loss and abundant grace, which tells the story of her experience of pregnancy and miscarriage. Copies of the book are available here.