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A Change of Plans
Does your life go just the way you had it planned? Mine sure doesn’t. The question is, how do you respond when your plans change? Or maybe better said, how do you respond when your plans get changed?
I recently returned from a 20-day vacation to the American West with my wife and 3 adult children. (Now you know why I haven’t been posting anything over the past several weeks.) We’ve dreamed about and have been planning a trip like this for years and finally all the stars aligned to make it possible. We drove 5,000 miles (Yes, that’s 5 with 3 zeros!) and were privileged to enjoy the rugged beauty of South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana. All in all it was a fantastic, memory-making trip of a lifetime for us.
But we also had our fair share of hiccups along the way . . . primarily in the area of vehicle challenges with the vintage 1973 motor home we inherited from my in-laws. Both before we left and occasionally throughout the trip, we encountered obstacles that we had to overcome. At times I had visions of our adventure becoming a sadistically laughable tag line for yet another Chevy Chase/National Lampoon vacation movie gone bad.
Prior to the trip, the old machine spend over a month in the shop to diagnose and fix a faulty electrical system. After getting the green light to go, we subsequently blew a power steering hose as we were literally pulling out of the drive way. I’m not kidding! I envisioned our trip draining out with the fluid leaking all over the road. We quickly rushed to the garage and begged our mechanic to craft a new hose (because, of course, you can’t find a hose at the local parts store for a 1973 motor home on short notice). Masterfully he completed the task the same day and twelve hours later than we’d planned we again departed on our long anticipated adventure . . . before something else could go wrong and scuttle the whole dream.
We encountered several additional “mechanical” challenges along the way (like a broken alternator one day out and a faulty battery connection that stopped us dead in our tracks for a couple of hours when we were just 10 hours from home). But, those are only part of the story.
We returned on schedule and I had visions of blogging about all the things God had inspired me to write about and share with you all . . . and then my plans were changed.
I had allowed for a couple days at home to take care of unpacking and cleaning up the home front prior to getting back into the saddle at the office (pardon the shameless western metaphor but I couldn’t resist). Much was needed after being gone almost 3 weeks–mowing the overgrown lawn, repairing the motor home, weeding the 3-foot high weeds that were threatening to totally overrun my vegetable garden. Sunday afternoon I bent over to pick up a bolt that had fallen to the floor in my garage. I tried to straighten back up but couldn’t. Ouch! Literally! The familiar sharp pain in my lower back told me I was in trouble. Shoot! That’s not what I had planned.
I’m not unfamiliar to back pain. Six years ago I went down with a bulging disk in my low back. It took 6 months to rehab it. While this present pain was not as bad, it was another warning bow shot that I had been neglecting to take care of my body during vacation. Now it was time to pay the price and there was no discussion about it.
So what do you feel when your plans are foiled? I must confess that quite often the first place I go is frustration. “Awe come on! No! Not now! I’ve got too much to do!” My response can quickly dissolve into complaint that morphs into anger and then sinks into despair. “Fine. Forget it! Why bother? It never works out anyway!”
Fortunately, I don’t stay there as long as I use to. And thankfully, God has been patient with my slow growth. Being willing to ask, “Okay, God, what are you up to now?” has been a major shift in my heart and demeanor. Back pain has been used of God to force me to “be still and know that He is God” (Psalm 46:10).
In times of disappointment, struggle, pain, and changes in my well-laid plans, a belief that has grown into a deep and abiding conviction over the years is this simple but reassuring truth: God is up to something good all the time no matter what. Whether I feel it, see it, or experience it at the moment, doesn’t change the reality that God is always involved and at work in all the details of our lives. I believe that. And that sure helps me handle the changes of plans that get thrown my direction.
So how about you? I’d love to hear how you’ve battled, struggled, and worked through your response to game-changing plans in your life.
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“God is up to something good all the time, no matter what.” I will never forget this statement. I am struggling with my own change of plans. I am 32 years old and my doctor diagnosed me as an infertile and/ or barren woman. He told me there is nothing he can do for me because the technology does not exist to figure out what is wrong with me. I have miscarried 7 times in the past 4 years and a total of 6 doctors cannot find what is wrong with me.
My plan was to get married and have children. God answered one of my prayers. I have a loving husband and we have been married for 4 years now, unfortunately no kids yet. I am dealing with disappointment, pain and confusion. I know God loves me, but why is HE not giving me the desires of my heart? Am I paying for my past sins?
Reading your post gives me a better understanding. I must wait patiently on God; I know HE will answer my prayers, in HIS time. My responsibility as a Christian woman is to walk by faith and not by sight. The doctors do not have the final say on my future, God does! Thanks everyone for all of your posts!
I am commenting in response to your story regarding “A Change of Plans” I am a single mom with what feels like a lot of work and responsibilities. I had a major event take place early this this spring in regards to my house that caused me to throw away many of my important things. With the help of God and those in my church I was able to simplify my life with all the stuff I had to get rid of. I even told my wayward daughter to move out, so she left her purple bedroom and moved in with her boyfriend. Those were not the dreams and plans I had for my daughter but that is what she chose.
Much needed peace and quiet was what I was looking forward to with my 12 year old son who just loves to skateboard. (I am also appreciating my nice dry basement.)One afternoon I was in thanksgiving for those things surrounding my house that were getting repaired.No sooner had those come out of my heart, then my daughter came bounding into the house. She was crying and telling me she was pregnant, her boyfriend pushed her against the wall and she wanted an abortion… All in that order. Those are words that are not intended by God. Those are words a parent does not want to hear. I now have the opportunity to share with my daughter, were she did not listen so much when she was younger. I will once again encourage her to live for Him, choose life for Him and to dream and to plan.
One of passages that I continue to embrace in regards to my adult children and of course my 12 year old skateboarder.(I think he thinks he’s flying when he’s on that board.) Jeremiah 9:11 says For I know, the plans I have for you declare the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will
call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Speaking of plans I am excited to say I am looking forward to a new grandchild next early spring.
I am facing a change in life right now..had a hysterectomy due to health reasons, unable to have children I expected to have. Not married yet and praying daily asking God what His plan is for my life in my change in life. Pretty tough, but I know God is in control and finding comfort in Him is what keeps my head up.
Yea, sure have experienced a change of plans. Not my choice, but rarely do we choose a change of plans. It’s usually forced on you, or it feels like it. God wasn’t involved in the details of this derailment, but sure would be interesting to see what he can possibly do with it.
I’m going through a tough break-up which was caused by tradition more than the lack of love. I’ve bawling and crying and praying hard these past few days so I can understand why. Reading your blog made it a little less painful knowing that no matter how sad I am, God is up to something good no matter what. Thank you for the reassuring words. I truly believe that everything has a purpose and God has something else planned for me.
Pamela,
Break-ups are so hard. They just plain hurt. No way getting around it. And that’s why God’s love is so reassuring. In order to have hope in the present . . . especially during times of struggle . . . we need an anchor. The reassurance that somehow, in some way–even if it’s a mystery that is veiled to us now–we have an anchor. It’s the security of knowing that God is up to something good all the time. That’s who he is. Can’t wait to hear what God has in store for you next. It may be a while, because your heart needs time to heal from this wound. Allow God to be your companion and your strength.
[...] God is up to something good all the time (ya know, it’s a real pain when the Holy Spirit uses something you’ve previously written to remind you of your need to step into hard things), then this post is for all of us who are [...]