"The best things in life are unexpected because there were no expectations."
-Eli Khamarov (famous observational writer)
Have you ever found yourself in what seemed to be an absolute position of control, which included planning, development of an event in your life, and execution? If you answered yes, how does that feel for you? It feels empowering to have that kind of authority and to be able to plan every little detail out. So you are in a position of power and have these details down to the second, but what normally happens? That's right - the details are mucked and something unplanned occurs, even if the unplanned details seem minute. How does that make you, a person who has planned everything dealing with this event in your life, truly feel? Unprepared? Foolish? Like a failure? It almost seems like you wasted all this time for nothing, huh?
It would seem more often than not we all go through this type of ordeal. I recently had a friend of mine move back home (out of state) after waiting almost two months for her to get back. The thing about this is that I was so stoked for her to come back and I had all these type of plans and places I wanted to show her. I think I was more excited to see how she has changed in the past two months more than anything. However, it was that change that I neglected to plan for, and in the end, she decided to trust God in His infinite wisdom and move back home to get her life back on track and in freedom. At first, it felt as though I wasted my time with all these plans and ideas and that I may have lost a friend, but as the days went by, I realized that God has much bigger plans for her and that the only thing I can really do is pray for her and keep my eyes on God through it all. Today, she is doing really well and has seen God in a whole new way - as the Redeemer and Healer of all afflictions and I'm proud of her.
When it seems God breaks our plans and "throws a wrench" into whatever we may have been constructing, it is paramount to remind ourselves that God's plan is not necessarily our own plan and that His plan is the best one to follow step-by-step. In 2 Corinthians 9:8, Paul talks about God's grace to cover our lack of preparation in our good works at all times.
"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work."
Another verse in Psalm 62.5 relates to keeping our hopes and expectations in him.
"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone. My hope (expectation in KJV) is in Him"
And of course He declares in Jeremiah 29:11 about His plans for our lives and how no matter what little details unfold, His promise is clear - to give us hope and a future.:
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"
And of course He declares in Jeremiah 29:11 about His plans for our lives and how no matter what little details unfold, His promise is clear - to give us hope and a future.:
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"
As your week starts to progress and you find yourself falling short of expectations, remind yourself that our expectation is in God and that His love truly never falls short of perfection. He has planned every detail down to the very second and He will never have an unprepared detail get in the way of His relationship with you. I pray that you will thank and worship God for truly taking care of all the details in your life and that, as the apostle Paul would say, you would "count it all joy" when it seems like unplanned details occur in your life. In reality, your life is His planning unfolding, so go with it and smile while it happens.
