Are you a planner? Are you a list maker? Are you one of those that will add to your list just so you can check it off? That’s me. The satisfaction of completing a task and seeing a plan come to fruition, what could be better? I just love when a plan comes together, but what happens when things don’t always go as you planned?
Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that the Lord knows the plans for our lives. They are plans to prosper us and not to harm us but to give us hope and a future. But what happens when you lose sight of that promise?
I had my life planned out from high school straight through to marriage, kids, and living in the perfect house with the perfect job, all by the age of 25. I had it all planned out! My plans, however, did not work out that way. Oftentimes we become focused on what our plans are and we lose sight of what God's plans are for our lives. As a college student you are making decisions that will affect the rest of your life- the career path you will choose, where you will live, and more. You may meet that special someone you want to spend the rest of your life with, and you may not. You will meet lifelong friends that will celebrate you, cry with you, and help keep you grounded. You will also meet people who may only be in your life for a season, but everyone that enters your life is here to help teach you something. No matter what decisions or plans are made, right or wrong, we can thank God that they don't determine the rest of our lives.
During my time in college I took my focus off God’s plan. I somehow, not on purpose, stepped away from Him. Thankfully God didn’t return the favor. As my life began to go in a direction that I didn’t recognize, there were a lot of casualties along the way; casualties that I thought could not be mended. As I reflect on God’s goodness I see how He has connected the pieces of my mistakes and turned them into something beautiful. Only He can do that!
God is so good! He is so good that even when we are running from Him, He chases after us. Even when our lives feel like they are out of control, He is always there to help put us back on track. God’s goodness and mercies are not only for the “good girls.” We often compare our worth and successes by those who appear to have it all put together. Everything seems to work out in their favor so effortlessly. We don’t see the struggles and mistakes and in that comparison we are only setting ourselves up for dissapointment. Romans 8:28 tells us that God works all things for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Even in the quiet times, when you seek His voice and hear nothing, God is still working on your behalf. The decisions I made pointed me back home. Not my plan but His. Home is where I met my husband, where we built our family, where we built successful businesses, and where we are active in our church spreading the love of Jesus. I have been blessed more than I deserve.
If I could leave you with one thing, it is that plans will change but God will not. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He will do for you what He has done for me. Do not be discouraged. Look to the One who formed you and created you. As you “plan” your life, my prayer is that you will cling to God’s word.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.” -Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
God Bless
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