Yesterday was a beautiful day, and a great time to make the rest of the drive home. It is always heart-warming to hear Sierra say - Daddy, I missed you so much! - and see the smile on her face as she received a new Cornhusker dress and cap, to spend time just talking with Jennifer, and relax a little before starting back into the grind.
And so I was ready to jump back in today with a funeral. All the plans were made, and then the plans were destroyed - my worst cluster headache in the past couple of years came crashing down on me at 7:30 this morning. At 8:00 Jennifer started writing the funeral sermon, and at 11:00 she was at the funeral home instead of me, for I was dealing with this headache for over six hours.
After that experience this morning, I was reminded of two things: First, I am blessed. I am blessed to be married to a beautiful, intelligent woman who is a great pastor and can take over without blinking an eye when I am laid out. Second - I can have all the plans in the world, and often they don't matter. Life gets in the way of our plans sometimes.
On my retreat I saw (again) the movie "Evan Almighty." It is a cute show that tells a modern day story of Noah. There is a seen in the movie that I love. In it Evan tells God, "But this wasn't my plan. I had all these other plans!" After saying that he looks at God who is laughing. God says, "Your plans, your plans, what makes you think your plans are more important than my plans for you?"
Sometimes our plans do fall apart - it may be because of circumstances, headaches, or other realities of life. But God's plans do not fail. For God has plans for all of us, and at the heart of his plans is the love he has for us.
So today, may we seek to know what God's plans for us are, and may our plans not get in the ways of God's.
2 comments:
So sorry to hear of your latest bout with those headaches. It has to be draining, as well as frustrating. And, yes, it does offer up opportunities for others to jump in and help, and you are truly blessed in your arrangement with Pastor J.
I filled in this morning at the BDN for my morning counterpart. She also has headaches, migraines, and had a doctor's appointment this morning. Maybe there's something in the air, or is the humidity, or barometric pressure? Makes you wonder...
Lots of plans are taking form at my house. Nathan has been accepted at the UW-Madison Law School to complete his last year there. He and I traveled to Madison this week and found him an apartment, (actually in Middleton), about 4 miles from campus.
Nathan has a flight back to Tallahassee set for Aug. 13, at which time he will arrange for the moving truck, get in a supply of cardboard boxes for moving, take care of tying up loose ends at the FSU Law School, speak with his landlord down there, getting out of his lease, and hopefully, begin some packing. (AND, he is to call the Salvation Army to come and get his hide-a-bed sofa....I AM NOT LIFTING THAT THING EVER AGAIN!!)
His dad and I are scheduled to fly down Aug. 21. The plan is to get the truck packed Friday, get the apartment carpets professionally cleaned, turn in the key, and be off and running Saturday morning, with a stop-over in Kentucky overnight, and arrival in Beloit on Sunday. After a night of rest, it's on to the Middleton apartment to unload the truck in Nathan's new digs.
Lord, please allow things to go as planned. I don't know if I can take much variation, but if changes have to occur, make them ones for the better. AMEN
I often think of the saying "if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans for the future." I have learned, reluctantly, to accept change and that things may not go just as I had planned. I know it's easier for some to "go with the flow" but I've always had a problem with that and it's clear there is a control issue at play here. But, I am learning to "prepare" for the future without too much planning. Besides, I'm ready to let someone else(God) do the planning; I'll just sit back and see what's in store for me.
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