Wednesday, September 26, 2012

The Plan

      Life doesn't usually turn out the way we think it will. Most of my friends and I thought we'd be our moms...living in suburbia, raising a family, loving husband by our sides and surrounded by family and friends. Perhaps, if we had pursued a career, we would work for a while but only until children came along. We jokingly referred to it as the "picket fence dream."  I even have a picture on my wall of a picket fence with pink roses growing through it.
      Well, life didn't turn out that way for me. Circumstances and situations derailed my "picket fence" scenario a long time ago. Life has definitely had its ups and down, and I can truly say it has never been boring. I have done many things I never thought I'd do, ministered to types of people I never thought I'd encounter, and lived a totally unexpected life!
      Last night in Bible study, we revisited the Christmas story (I know, it's only September) and talked about it  in ways that were different from the normal telling. I found myself thinking of Mary. She must have had a normal girlhood, right up until the point where the angel showed up. From then on, there was no way her life could be the typical one that I imagine she had mapped out. From the elation of Elizabeth's acknowledgement to the agony of watching her son be crucified as a criminal, Mary lived in a world of extreme contrasts and ever-swirling emotional tides. There's no way she could have imagined all that she dealt with, both amazing and terrifying! 
      Which leads me back to my initial thought. Life is full of unexpected twists and turns. We can be floating along with hopes and dreams, having our ideal plan perfectly mapped out, only to encounter a tidal wave of circumstances that totally re-route us. Our situations change due to our own adjustments, our needs & wants, or the influences of others. The expedient things circumvent the plan we thought was our future and we're on a totally different path from the one we chose. 
      The only certainty in life is that there will never be total certainty!  Good or bad, change will always take place. Thank God, He has the plan under control. We don't have to be in charge or worry or fret or try to manipulate life and its challenges. We just need to be sure we're walking with the Lord as closely as we possibly can so that wherever the path goes, we know He's not only there but has already prepared the way! No circumstance or situation takes Him by surprise and nothing we can do (or don't do) will demand that He institute Plan B. His plan is perfect, complete, & always works to our benefit even if we don't see it or understand it at the time. He never deviates from it because it's His design. We can choose to submit to it willingly, or He can cause our circumstances to keep bringing us back to it, but His plan will always prevail!  
      In light of all of your challenges and opportunities of this season in your life, aren't you glad you have the assurance that God has it all under control? Live in peace and refuse to worry - it will all work out just as it was Planned from the beginning!  It's God's promise!

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