Unexpected Plans

What did you think of when you read that title? Did you wonder at the sanity of the blog writer? (How can plans be unexpected? Plans are planned, Duh!) Did your mind jump to the last time things didn’t go your way? Did you think of a time when you had to change your plans because something else came up? Or did you, like me, think of all of these and more? (I’m a deep thinker, and a wide imagine-er.  😀 )

Lately, I’ve been thinking of plans. I’ve had my life planned out for the last 2 years–in a very broad, generalized way. I teach school during the school year, and then get a summer job that has a very lenient time schedule to recuperate for the next year. I was well on my way to accomplishing that plan, when suddenly life was shook up for me again.

Men in blue standing over me in MY bedroom. Umm, excccuussee me!! Where’s my right of  privacy??! Soon after, they left, and I was left with sore muscles, and a bewildered feeling of trying to figure out what in the world was happening! Memory that morning was fuzzy, but with the help of mom and dad, I was able to piece a little bit together.

That week was an emotional roller coaster for me. (seriously, imagine the most up and down roller coaster, and I was one step up from that yet) One moment, I was determined not to let it get to me, and the next, I wanted to throw in the towel, gauntlet, and everything and anyone else in my path at the moment.

Something was decided that we NEED to do something!! I mean, no normal 20 yr old should have to deal with this, right? Was it stress, emotions, etc.,  or rather something bigger going on in my brain?? MRI and CT scans were done, and now it was time to wait. Wait, wait, wait, and PRAY. Oh, how the prayers (and tears) flowed that week. I’ll be honest, the prayers weren’t for anyone else’s benefit this time. They were for me. I was searching and yearning for answers and peace about the decisions I was trying to make. The struggle was real folks.

You see, my plans were being shattered to pieces. My plans of teaching were being questioned as I prayed and searched for what was the wisest thing to do for my health (and for the sake of the kids..who wants a teacher that is non-energetic, and has Dr.’s visits every other week?) The more I prayed, the more I realized, that this was probably for the best, and I was to let this slip from my grasp.

(This post is not going the way that I planned.) Ironic, isn’t it? My thoughts have been floating (no, racing is a better word) far and wide lately, and I began to think about the absurdity of it all.

We are humans. We are finite. We have limits. We have boundaries. Why do we think we have the right to take charge? So often it seems, I pray, and I try to nudge God to the direction I want.” God, you know it’s always been my dream to do this. Please give me an answer” (all the while whispering under my breath: Do what you know I want.)

And then I look at God. He is God. He is infinite. He is limitless, with no boundaries. Because of Him, we are. Because of His plan, we sometimes get the unexpected. No matter what we tell him, He has the final say, and we’d do well to listen.

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So I want to leave a challenge to you as well as to myself. When God places his plan in front of us, are we going to look at it as an unexpected stumbling block? Or when God places his plan in front of us, can we grab His hand, climb over it, and come out stronger in the end because we faced it with Him?

Yes, that means the big and the little. It can mean the cow getting out in the morning, and needing to be chased back in before leaving for work.

It can mean an unexpected death in the family.

It can mean terminal illness when you thought all was fine and dandy.

It can mean you were speeding in a no-cop zone (or so you thought) and got pulled over for it.

It can mean vacation plans got cancelled because of not enough funds to cover it.

It can mean your child doesn’t take a long enough nap, leaving you stranded with a lot more work than you wished, and supper STILL not started.

It can mean the loss of a child you never got to know, snuggle, and love.

It can mean the simple thing of getting lost while going somewhere and ending up 30 minutes late.

It can mean having a flat tire in the middle of nowhere and temperatures rising rapidly, when all you wanted to do was run to pick up a couple things and race back to the coolness of your home.

It can mean having to wait to get to an appointment, even several months, when all you wanted is to do it NOW!

It can mean a change in a job, no matter how hard it is to let go. (If you think about it, pray for me on this one. It’s seriously going to be way tougher than I ever dreamed to let someone take over “my kids”)

It can mean not being accepted as an applicant for a job somewhere that you really wanted.

You hear the saying, “Expect the unexpected.” I’m just glad the unexpected for me is still always in the plan-book for God. Isn’t it awesome no matter what we face, He’s got it!! No matter what would take us by surprise, He is giving it to us at just the exact moment He had planned. It brings me to a feeling of awe and humility, knowing how Sovereign He is and how human I am, and yet…

He still loves you and me so much that He died for us.

And not only that, but the same God who created this beauty in the world, created and cares for you and me.

(For lack of a better way to end, I will stop here. Allow these words to penetrate your thoughts.)