Some things are like a snow-covered field. Beautiful, magical, and covering of imperfections. Unfortunately, the beaming sun eventually melts the snow, and we're left with an ugly, dangerous, and sometimes deathly snow/ice mixture underneath that may endure for longer than the beauty ever did.

This isn't to say that the snow is any less brilliant of a provision and reminder of God's authority and care, but that once He is done with the amazing spectacle, the overall nastiness of our world seems to take over.

In a similar way, sometimes God's answers to our prayers or ways of thinking seem harsh and bleak. When all we can think about is the opportunity that comes with an event having one certain outcome, it's easy to feel hurt or mislead when the Lord has another plan.

It usually happens when things have been working out for a while. Like a child hoping for "one more" cupcake, Christians also find themselves begging God for their way. Then, when God answers, "No", to our most desperate pleas, as a caring parent does when a child has had too much chocolatey goodness for one million kids his size, we tend to stomp our feet and ball our fists because we just can't see the gain.

Even so, how sweet it is of our God to put up with us, wipe our tears (and our faces) and love us through our journey!

"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind."
- C.S. Lewis

I challenge you, lean on Him instead of blaming Him, praise Him instead of thinking He has given up on you. Whatever it is, you're way better off not letting yourself call the shots.

Be patient. Give yourself time to pray and discover what the Lord is working on for you. Don't limit Him to just what your human mind can dream up as "the best plan." Most of the time, He's teaching you a heart lesson above anything else. We all need to be reminded from time to time that our priorities are inferior to His plans. God will always be greater than the seeming emptiness of our situations.