A Change of Plans

When my eyes first peeked open Saturday morning, I was suddenly wide awake. I glanced over at my sister in the bed beside me, and the lump under the covers told me that the bright morning sun had not awakened her. With excitement, I quietly seperated the blind and peeked through the slot to see what the weather looked like outside. Then, I tiptoed over to my computer and checked the radar on weather.com to confirm my certainty that today was going to be a beautiful sunny day. After a week of solid rain, surely the clouds would roll away just in time for all the great things I had planned for the day. I had been anticipating this weekend with my sister for a long time, and I had scheduled several exciting and adventuresome activities for us to do together...if the weather approved. As I clicked on the radar on my computer screen, my stomach sank as I watched the dark green blobs cover the screen and block the map from my view. I watched it several more times, hoping that it might change to suit my hopes, but I had to accept the fact that today would be another rainy day. All my plans were ruined. I crawled back in my bed, watched my sister stir under the covers, and wondered what in the world we were going to do today.

I'm a planner and an organizer, so when circumstances alter my schedule, I feel really disappointed. Maybe that's why I struggle with uncertainties in life. I often make plans for my life, thinking that they must be from God when they are really just an expression of my need for control. I think the radar is in my hands, but it is really in the Lord's.

As it all turned out, my sister and I had a great day, full of adventures that we never would have encountered if we had gone according to my plan. We explored a new park, shopped in new shops, ate at a new chocolate shoppe (yum!), and saw some new animals at a really cool pet store. Who would have thought that spontaneous adventure would be even more fun than what I had originally planned?

It is good to know that God sees and directs the radar of my life. Its weekends like these that remind me of how useless my plans really are in comparison to God's purpose for me. A little rain might not be on my agenda, but I trust that God has a bigger adventure in store for me, one that is perfect only when it's out of my hands and secure in His.