“To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.” Proverbs 16:1 (NIV)
I had it all planned out. I would take the beginning of the week and get ahead on articles and assignments, leaving me the rest of the week (and part of the month) to work on a big project left unfinished on my laptop. But as I opened my laptop to begin to work, I quickly found it was not working correctly. I spent the rest of that week not working on the articles and getting ahead as planned, but instead, I went to the store, ordered new equipment, and restarted the computer.
If you've ever had computer problems like mine, you know what a hassle it is. It can take up to a week to order one, get everything transferred onto the new computer, and wipe the other computer clean. These were far from the plans I had for myself that week.
Additionally, some health challenges early this summer forced me to cancel a much-needed vacation. This summer has been far from what I planned.
This left me mad at God, and one day, I sorted out my feelings with him. Couldn't I have a vacation where I could get some much-needed rest? Isn't that what God wants for us?
While I may never know why I couldn't have a vacation this summer or why one hardship after another had to hit our family, I do know one thing: no matter how hard I plan for something, God can always step in and change my plans.
There's nothing wrong with having a plan for your life. Every year, we make goals and set New Year's resolutions, hoping to have a better life the following year. We set goals for a financial windfall; we plan to exercise and eat better to care for our health, etc. It's our responsibility to make plans for our lives. We should always want to move forward and see what God has next in his agenda for us.
But we can't lose sight of God's plan. God is ultimately in control. He's the one who orders our steps. God can re-direct our steps no matter what direction we plan to go. A person who is wholly yielded to God will allow this to happen. They will not fight the redirection but adjust their plans to accommodate the new direction.
The book Who Moved My Cheese? illustrates this idea. There is a piece of cheese in a specific part of a maze. The mice bounce back and forth to get that cheese. However, when the cheese is moved, two mice and two humans have a decision to make. The book depicts four different reactions to change, represented by four characters: Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw. Sniff and Scurry adapt to the change, adjusting their direction to locate the cheese and devour its goodness again. The other two, Hem and Haw, complain that the cheese has been moved. They spend so much time complaining and resisting change that they starve because they allow the change to overtake them.
In life, we make plans. But God's the one who ultimately makes those plans come to fruition. We can spend our time complaining and hoping God changes his mind and allows our plans to happen, or we can adjust to his new plan and realize that his plans are always for our good. We sometimes make plans with impure motives, looking for our selfish gain. But God cares more about our character and hearts than he does about our prosperity in this life.
Earth is just a stopping point. This is not our home. Our home is in heaven. God is refining us to be the Christ-like people God wants for us when we reach heaven. Part of that refining is how we adapt to change.
Will you allow God to change your plans? Will you spend your time being mad at God, isolating yourself from him? Or will you adjust to and embrace the change with gladness, knowing that God always has your best interest at heart?
Father, thank you for being in control of our lives. When we make plans, help us adjust accordingly when those plans change. Help us seek your wisdom, knowing that your plans are always about refining our character rather than earthly prosperity. Amen.
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