Making (and changing) Plans

boy with dirty face

I had all these great plans.  I spent hours thinking about them.  I wrote countless lists.  I was banking (in some ways literally) on these great plans.

God certainly has a hilarious way of putting all that into perspective.  No matter how much I plan, there will always exist factors that are out of my control.  And those factors don't give a hoot about what I wrote on the list.

Last night I heard myself saying

Sometimes things happen - or don't happen - for a reasonWe can't see the bigger pictureA door might have to close in order for another to open

and I tried to touch on some of the sincerity in these words.  I want these to not be cliches.  I want to believe that there is a bigger purpose and my "plans" are just creative exercises, not necessarily means to an end.

I take comfort in making plans because the promise is so alluring.  If I just stick to it, things will turn out in a good way, because that's how the process is designed.  But, if X, Y, or Z doesn't happen, disaster is imminent because the plan fell apart.  I should learn to let go and be more flexible with my expectations.

Moments like these are moments for faith.  I know that there is more than one way to accomplish any goal.  So I will chose to believe that the results are still attainable even if the plan didn't work out.  I will chose to believe that what might seem like a setback is merely another opportunity for growth.  I will chose to believe that success is possible, even without that plan.