Plans are for Wimps

I have completed a successful first week of my junior year. Successful by His providence alone! 

Keep reading to see why plans are for wimps.

I began reading Jesus Calling by Sarah Young at the beginning of this week. Maintaining a consistent devotional time, while difficult during the hectic school semester, is vitally important. Obviously, some days are better than others, but it's not important that we stick to a firm schedule with absolute laws, but rather that we meet to commune with the Lord. (By the way, if you're looking for ideas, My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers is what I read last year, and I highly recommend it.)

Anyway, Jesus Calling is themed as if Jesus himself were speaking to the reader. Here is today's selection...

I don't know if you know this yet, but I am a HUGE planner. I plan everything. Sometimes it's a bit annoying.  I love to plan, to organize, to structure, to consolidate and make things more efficient. This is a good gift, I'm told, but it is also a weakness for me. 

The line from this devotional reading that caught me is: "Your natural preference is to plan out your day; knowing what will happen when. My preference is for you to depend on Me continually, trusting Me to guide you and strengthen you as needed." In my natural desire and normal gift to plan and prepare and organize, I often miss what God wants to do. Yes, there is a need for structure and other administrative gifts, but there is also a time to (depending on your theology)  let randomness take it's course, or to let providence have it's prominence. 

See, God is all about doing things that probably do not and will not make sense to us. Often, it's later (or sometimes never) that he reveals how things are working together. Remember, of course, that He works all things together for those who love him and who are called according to his purposes. 

Take for example: today. After reading through this devotional and praying that I would "depend on God for my direction," (a little half-heartedly, I might add), I went about my day as usual. I knew I wanted to go to the women's soccer game on campus at 5pm. So, with my roommate, I did. And then we went to Ingles and spent way too much time buying too many things we didn't need. All of that was planned and normal and comfort-zone.

Then we went through the McDonalds drive-through to get a snack, and lo and behold, my automatic window broke. I couldn't roll it down! So I ambled through the drive-through like a nerd with a broken window. On the way back, I realized a lovely spider friend had joined us in the car! Like I said, I couldn't roll my window down! Of. Course.

When we got back to campus, my roommate suggested we go play piano and sing in the small chapel, so we went ahead and spent some time in worship. While we were out, we also visited the coffeeshop (which was closed) and the student lounge (which contained some Star Wars fans during an episode marathon).

And then we happened upon a group of freshman sitting in a circle with some guitars. We passed by them earlier and sang a song with them, but I was convinced I didn't want to stay there. When we passed by the second time, my roommate promised we would just spend five minutes singing with them. 

Those five minutes turned in one hour! My roommate invited them to our terrace. We gave them hot tea and talked about life and fun experiences. We invited them to evening prayer that my roommate hosts and we added them on Facebook. It was completely unplanned. I didn't even want to hang out with them, but I found myself enjoying their company and really wanting to get to know each of them. 

What is the chance that I could rely on my roommate's friendliness and on God's provision to actually enjoy this weirdly-awesome change of plans? Uh, actually, it's not chance. It is totally the plans of God. See, when I let go of my plans, God does some awesome things, like putting a few awesome people into my life. Yes, I'm an introvert. Yes, I need structure. Yes, I need plans. But, like the devotional says, growing strong in my weakness (and these things can be weaknesses at times), is a process of relying on God to give me strength when He has called me to things I feel like I can't do.

We are strong when we rely on His strength. We don't have to worry when we rely on His plans. So, it's okay to make some plans, but do so with flexibility, because God loves to shake them up!