Today’s post is, I hope, the first of many guest posts from Samantha Loucks. Samantha is a first-semester senior at a Christian University in South Carolina, majoring in Journalism and Mass Communication. To learn more about Samantha after reading her post, click here.

The Women’s Entertainment TV channel used to show a number of bridal shows, and my favorite was My Fair Wedding with David Tutera. In this show, Tutera, a mastermind of all things wedding, would go to a bride’s home just a few days before her wedding, and he’d save the day, transforming her DIY-Dollar-Store wedding into a platinum wedding only found in Pinterest-board dreams.

I loved this show not only because I love a good wedding (an extravagant one, at that) but also because I so enjoyed seeing the bridal transformation that took place. The brides often had a theme—from white diamonds to butterflies to Alice in Wonderland—and Tutera would take it and run with it. Typically, he scrapped a bride’s entire plan (because it included dollar-store flowers and garage-sale wedding gowns) to create something above and beyond the bride’s dreams.

Tutera treated his brides like royalty, and he did everything in his power to make their dreams come true. He called in favors from personal friends and wedding vendors. He pulled strings so that he could surprise his brides with fireworks, princess carriages, and six-foot centerpieces.

Looking for a wedding planner? He’s your man.

Then there was the Zebra Bride. Her theme, of course, was everything zebra: The bridesmaids’ dresses were zebra print. The cake was zebra print. All the décor? It was zebra print. Now, Tutera honored her theme, but he wanted to make some changes. Zebra Bride refused. She fought him and threw temper tantrums, and she kept him from pulling off an incredible wedding because she was attached to some safari-looking fabric.

I could’ve screamed at the TV while I watched Zebra Bride fight David over her dress, her table decorations, and her venue.

Are you insane? I thought. This is David Tutera! He knows what he’s talking about, and he won’t steer you wrong! David Tutera is the master of weddings. If he’s your wedding planner, you do everything he says.

Hold it right there. Truth, in the form of a bridal show, just slapped me in the face.

Jesus Christ is the King of Kings. If he’s your God, you do everything He says.

We so often have a dream for our lives, and we hold on to that plan with the utmost ferocity. Our clutches on our dreams can’t be loosened—don’t even try to mess with them. The sad thing is that those dreams fall into our narrow scope of what life could be. They’re the dollar-store flowers and garage-sale dresses.

But God comes to us, knocks on the door, and says He’s there to save the day. Save the day? Uh no, I have my zebra print right here. I’m fine.

Would you talk to God that way? Maybe not. But our actions may scream that message. Stay away from my zebra print!

How ridiculous does that sound?

Our God is the Sovereign One who’s in the business of creating incredible lives—not to the world’s standards, but to His. Are you dreaming of an incredible life but refusing to trust the One who orchestrates your life?

Ephesians 3:20–21, NASB – Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Talk about pulling strings! God is able to do far more abundantly than we could ever think! If He can orchestrate miracles (and He can!); if He can create the most intricate organisms (and He can!), and if He loves us unconditionally (and He does!), shouldn’t we run to Him with nothing in our hands?

When we clutch onto our measly zebra print, we’re settling for our tiny ideas of what would be good for us: this home, this job, this person. Instead, God has a better, grander idea of what’s best for us. Think of how peace-filled our lives would be if we chose, moment-by-moment, to rest in God’s all-wise plans, instead of throwing a fit every time He prompts us to follow Him and let go of our selfish plans.

It’s time to ask ourselves: What’s my zebra print? Am I willing to let it go? Or am I throwing a Zebra Bride temper tantrum? If David Tutera were your wedding planner, you’d place the entire day into his hands. If God is your King and Savior, you should place your entire life into His hands!

_______________

 Would you like us to e-mail our posts to you? We’ll only send you the blog posts—no spam—and we won’t give your information to anyone else! In fact, you can unsubscribe at any time, and we’ll still be friends!

Subscribe to Petals from the Basket by e-mail.