When Man Plans

Proverbs 19:21

There are many plans in a man's heart,

Nevertheless the Lord's counsel--that will stand.

Has life turned out the way you thought that it would?

I used to spend hours planning out what my life was going to be like. I had my children named--all twelve of them. I had my career choices made, each rung on the political ladder labeled and dated so that I would know exactly when I would run for President of the United States. I had my house diagramed and detailed, right down carpet color and furniture placement. I had a handle on things.

Of course, I had more realistic plans, too. A list of goals I wanted to accomplish. I try annually to review that list, deleting things that I've completed, adding new things I want to try.

And the work that I do requires me to constantly be concerned with my calendar and scheduling, where I'm going to be next week, next month, six months from now. But in 21 months of itinerant preaching, I've learned that I need to be flexible. That calendar that I've worked so hard to plan out and keep organized can change on a moment's notice. Last minute cancellations happen, completely beyond my ability to control or plan for, and I have learned not to worry about those cancellations. God must have something else in mind. That philosophy works in all of life's circumstances and situations.

There's nothing about my life now that looks anything like what I envisioned two decades ago. I think mostly it's better than I could have imagined, with a few unforseeable bumps along the way to teach me some important life lessons. But I wonder sometimes if the saying is true--"Man plans; God laughs." If we could only see what He sees, and know what He knows.

There are many plans I've made, and many plans I'm making still. But I've learned in life that it's really the plan of God that works everything out, not mine. I'm glad I serve a God who is completely in control of all things, even when I wonder what He's doing. He is a good and great God!