By F. D. Adkins
I pull into the parking lot as I mentally go over the list of things I plan to accomplish today. I just need to make a quick run into Walmart and grab some fruit, so I should be back home in no time. I dart from the car, and as I pass through the entrance, I decide to get a cart because I should get some milk while I am here. I push the cart toward the milk tossing in chips, beef jerky, and peanuts along the way. I make it to the milk at the back of the store and load in the chocolate milk for my daughter, whole milk for my son and husband, and skim milk for me. “Oh,” I say to myself, “If I get extra trail mix and dog treats, I won’t have to come back before next week.” Finally, after a few passes down a few more aisles, I wheel my cart to the self-checkout. Wow. How did I spend that much?
After staying much longer in Walmart than I anticipated, I hurry to the car with my cart. I load the bags in the back and climb into the car. As I reach to put the key in the ignition, I shake my head in disbelief. I did not get fruit. I came for fruit, and I am leaving with a hundred dollars worth of groceries that does not include fruit, the one item I came for.
Am I the only person this ever happens to?
***
I am a planner, but things in life do not always go according to plan. While some are only minor disturbances like my grocery trip or a rainy day on a beach vacation, some are major detours that affect the long term. The fact is we can plan all we want, but we never know what tomorrow will bring.
When my husband and I built our first house, we never imagined that we would ever sell it and move. However, we had two children, and I had left work to be a stay-at-home mom. The economy was booming so we decided that it would be in our best financial interest to sell and build again. We found a few acres, and my husband drew up the house plans with all of the things we said we should have done differently on the first one.
We sold the other house making just enough to build the new one and give us some peace of mind since we no longer had two incomes. The new house had the layout we dreamed of and plenty of land for the kids to play. This house was perfect. We would never move.
Never say never.
The company where my husband was employed closed the facility in which he worked. So, as my husband would say, we were at that “fork in the road.” He could relocate to another facility or look for a new job. Either way, we were going to move, and a great job opportunity presented itself. However, the job opportunity presented itself almost sixteen hours away in the frozen north. I say frozen north because I had never lived anywhere but the south, so the temperatures where we were headed were unlike anything I had ever experienced. Nonetheless, I was excited about this move because I had never heard of anything bad happening in this particular state. The low crime rate and great schools had me on board. Our move north lasted about two and a half years before another job opportunity brought us back south. We have been in South Carolina for five years, and now we are building another house. My husband created the perfect design, and I am sure we will never move again. Of course, I am joking because only God knows the real plan.
Looking back, I can see God’s handiwork in every move as the memories, the learning experiences, the friends, and the provisions He provided along the path show each as a stepping stone to the next. My problem is that I do not like being caught off guard. I find comfort in knowing exactly what is coming which is why I am a planner. I want to be prepared for my next step.
Strangely enough, right now I am outside of my comfort zone not sure of what the next step is supposed to be. The odd thing is that as much as I like to have a plan, I am thankful to be in this location out of my comfortable bubble. A little over a year ago, I had an idea for a book, so I started writing in my spare time. When I finished, I decided that I would like to try and get it published. I thought there would be no harm in sending it to a publishing company. I have always dreamed of being a writer. The problem was that I had not actually looked into what it took to become a published author. Research and classes revealed that it was not as simple as sending in a manuscript. I needed a platform that included having my own website. Two months later, I have created this website and started a faith blog. Honestly, this was not part of the plan, and I am not completely sure what I am doing. After all, I have been a stay-at-home mom for seventeen years. However, every time I have tried to run from this, and trust me when I say that I have because of my personal fear of the unknown, I feel this nudge pushing me forward. So, I am not sure where this is supposed to lead, but God does. I will just have to wait to find out. For now, I am completely enjoying myself. I am writing and that is what I have always wanted to do. So, I guess I could say that I am living my dream. And who knows? Maybe this is all preparation for something totally different.
When things in life do not go the way we plan or we find ourselves in a situation that we never expected, maybe we veered off the path as I did on my Walmart trip or maybe God is preparing us for something else. Maybe the enemy is trying to shake our foundation. Maybe our plan is not the plan God had in mind. But when those unpredicted, unplanned events show up out of the blue and take us by surprise, God is not surprised. Whether it is a lost job or an unexpected financial burden or a relationship that ends or an illness or some other unforeseen factor that comes along and shatters our plan, give God the reins and let him lead. He knew it was going to happen. He expected it. He is prepared for it. We just think we have a plan, but He created each of us with a specific purpose in mind. Let Him work so we can discover that purpose. Remember “Father Knows Best” and find comfort in God’s Word.
- God has a plan for your life.
“For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11 KJV).
- If we love God and trust Him, even though things may not be going very good, God will use those things for good.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28 KJV).
- God is with us everywhere and in every situation.
“Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9 KJV).
My husband was by himself one night putting up some bracing in the roof trusses of our second house. Since the house was still in the framing stage, a small work light was the only source of illumination. As he stood on the beams of the trusses, the light burned out, and he had to find his way back to the ladder in complete darkness balancing only on the bottom chords of the roof trusses. When my husband came home and shared the story, my son, who was five years old at the time, looked at his dad and said, “Daddy, I don’t know what you were worried about. Don’t you know ‘For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” It is funny how sometimes our kids teach us.
When the path becomes unclear, follow THE LEADER because He is with you, and He knows where you are going.
Great story! Sometimes we wander why things happen, and I certainly have. God has a plan that only He knows. I try to pray everyday that whatever decisions I have to make today and whatever I say or do today that God will lead me to do His holy will in all those things. I feel that if I allow Him to lead in my life and I try to follow that lead that my life will go better than any plan I could ever possibly make on my own.