It's Not My Way

Sometimes phrases catch my attention.  Often we say things and really don't realize how they come across.   I just want to say that I've followed 'my plan' for my life and it brought me very little good.  Only on those days that I follow God's plan can I have the very best.  The very best of life is what He wants for me, it's what I want too, the difference is He truly knows what is best. 
I often think I do, I have great plans, I see it all and think 'this is how it will be'.  Yet usually that is satan's whispers.  Now I know God can give you dreams of what He wants for you, but usually those things are not the easy things.  He pushes us out of our comfort zone so instead of good we get awesome!
He says 'do this' and we say 'who, me? are You kidding?'  But when we follow His direction we see how truly it is the very best.  I've said it before, I love to write, I write poetry, I write this blog.  Sometimes I've thought 'that would make a good song' but I don't play an instrument, I might 'hear' a tune with it but I have not way to 'put it' with it.  But more than once I felt like God wanted me to write a song.  But I had all the reasons why I could not.  While I would have loved to do it, I was afraid.  I know some AWESOME songwriters!  I know folks who have written like amazing gospel songs!  'Lord, you want ME to write one?  There are already some great songwriters out there!'
A few weeks ago while preaching my pastor said a phrase, then he said 'that would make a great song lyric', I wrote it down.  But I didn't do anything with it.  Then earlier this week our minister of music text me.  He said 'I want you to write a song using this phrase that Greg Lenz said in the evening service'.  Seriously?  So now you are ganging up with God on me? 
But I sat down and I wrote some poetry, it told a good story using the lyric.  I text it back to him.  He asked me if I had a tune to go with it and I realized I did.  So I started trying the wording out of the music.  Some of it worked and some of it didn't.  By Wednesday morning I had it more lyrically rhythmic.  While not a 'finished work' I knew it was sing-able.  I sent him a video singing it.  I still wasn't completely satisfied but I knew it was a song, not just poetry.
Then I took the phrase the pastor has said belonged in a song,  and very quickly had the words for that as well.  Now I don't know that either of these will ever be sung anywhere other than my church.  I don't know if I'll write another song.  But I know this, once I wrote those words and heard the tune that would make it a song, I knew I had followed God's instructions.  I felt His 'well done'.  Nothing else really matters.  He wanted me to follow His instructions and I did.  I wrote a song, two of them actually. 
Now what does that have to do with 'my plan'?  My human desire is to do things 'my way' so I can boast in myself.  But to truly be successful I need to do it 'God's Way'.  I need to trust Him and Obey Him.  I need to be willing to step out of my comfort zone and let God use me, work through me.
Will that way lead to greater things?  Yes, maybe not in the world's eyes but that way will lead to Him saying 'Well done' which is the greatest accolade I can ever receive.