The best laid plans...

Although surprises can be fun, most of us do not want to be caught unaware about the big stuff in life.  We try to choose the perfect college, the perfect spouse, the perfect job, the perfect house. We want gifted children and a dog in the back yard, the picket fence and two cars in the garage.  We feel that we have our lives in order, that we have everything under control.

Then, in an instant, everything changes. We lose a job. Our spouse unexpectedly dies. A child drops out of college, the roof needs repair, the car is in the shop.  We wonder what happened to our carefully laid plans, as we slide from the mountaintop into the valley.

A while back, a friend confided to me her unhappiness in her current job.  Although it was in the field she wanted to pursue, it was not the job she had dreamed of in college.  She was removed from the part of the career that impelled her into the field in the first place.  Instead, she spent all her time managing other people who were doing the work she wanted to do.

She applied for other positions, sending out resumes week after week, but nothing materialized.  It was frustrating, and at times she felt hopeless, even despair.

Then, the day dawned that she had been praying for.  She had a phone interview, followed by a request for an interview in person the following week.  She could barely contain her excitement, buoyed as she was by the prospect of making a positive change.

It was hard to keep her secret as she went about her job on Monday morning.  Then, a couple of hours after she arrived at work, her world crashed.  Budgetary restrictions were forcing layoffs, and she was given the cynical offer of "part time" status with a loss of benefits, or she would be terminated outright.

Shock was followed by anger and despair, as she saw her carefully planned future melting into a pool of uncertainty.  She wondered if God was paying attention, because she had worked long and hard to get to the point where she could have choices and it was terrifying to see them slipping away.

She just couldn't see the pattern that God had already mapped out for her life.

She threw herself into preparation for one of the most important meetings of her life.  The interview went well, but she hardly dared to hope as she drove home, so fearful was she about her future.  She was told a decision would be forthcoming the following week, and her nerves jangled with impatience as she thought about the long wait.

That evening, she tried to focus on the important decision she had to make, but her faith was sorely tried by the unexpected setback thrown in her path.  God heard her despair, and her tribulation ended the next day when a call came offering her the position she had wanted so badly.

She rejoiced as she saw how perfectly God had timed her life, a new vista of opportunity opening up in front of her.  God even allowed her the luxury of resigning from her current position, telling them she had found something more suitable for her needs.

God does know and care about what happens to us.  He has promised to provide what we need, not just in heaven, but in this life as well.  In Jeremiah 29:11, God tells us, "'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.'"

In reflecting back on her experience later, my friend pondered how many other times in her life she has probably stood in the way of God's plans for her, fearfully mistrusting that he would provide what she needed.  I believe that is the true power of faith - we are assured that God will provide, if we are willing to trust his plan.

Pray in faith for the patience to let God take control of your life.  You never know where it might lead, because God in his infinite wisdom sees your future, while we can only see the past.

Wishing you faith for your journey, trusting that God has an awesome plan for you.  Get out of his way, and let it happen, and you will be blessed beyond your imagination!