Exactly What He's Doing

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on our own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

If someone had told me nineteen years ago that I’d still be a paramedic today, and a teacher, I would have said, "No way. I have bigger plans for my life." But thank God, He knew better…

Tricia was an outstanding student. So dedicated. So sincere. Seventeen years old with the warm, bubbly personality of a high school cheerleader and some of the best study habits I had ever seen, but try as I may, I just couldn’t imagine her elbows deep in a bloody EMS call. She looked too fragile. She’d never make it on the street. So I could hardly believe what I was about to hear.

"Mr. Patterson, you’ll never believe it!"

"What?"

"You remember how you taught us to do the Heimlich maneuver? On a conscious person with an obstructed airway?"

"Yeah?"

"Well it works," she exclaimed. "I saved a man’s life!"

"You what?"

"I’m serious! We were at Taco Bell eating lunch? And this man? He stood up at the next table grabbing his throat? And it was, like, so obvious he was choking, you know? So I asked him, ‘Can you cough? Can you talk?’ He shook his head. ‘I know the Heimlich Maneuver,’ I said. ‘Turn around!’ He did. And then I just did what you taught us—I wrapped my arms around him and gave him five abdominal thrusts. And guess what, this big wad of food came shooting out of his mouth! Can you believe it? I mean, I really did it! I saved somebody’s life!"

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Yes, I had a plan for my life, but God knew better. And He used little Tricia to prove it. He led me down a different path than the one I would have chosen, and while we were walking He used me in ways I never could have imagined—to teach people, to mentor them, and amazingly, even to help them save a few lives.

Do you have big plans? Well before you spend another day chasing your dreams, seek the Lord. Acknowledge Him and see where He leads you. And then one day if you realize that He used you to accomplish mighty deeds, don’t be surprised—He’s an awesome God! And He knows exactly what He’s doing.

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