I am a planner… a list-maker… a detail person… an organizer… maybe even a border-line control freak. I like to know what is going to happen and when. I don’t like loose ends. I can also be flexible and “fly by the seat of my pants”, but it is not my preferred method. Planning and preparing is my forte!
Several weeks ago I received a call in the church office from a youth pastor by the name of Scott, who had heard of our flooding troubles and asked if we could use some help from their youth group during their mission trip. Of course I said “Yes” and asked what their plans were. To my amazement (aka shock, disbelief, temporary horror…) he told me that they did not have a plan. He informed me that they had a dozen people making the trip, but the only plan that they had was to seek God’s will and ask for His guidance as to where He wanted to use them. Wow! They had no plans for food, lodging, work, activities, nothing! I immediately told them that we had plenty of space for them to sleep and newly finished bathrooms, complete with showers, that were available for them to use. Scott shared his appreciation and told me that they would be in prayer over this opportunity to serve. As I hung up the phone my mind did a quick rewind to last summer and the youth mission trip that I had been a part of and all the planning and preparation that went into that trip. I felt convicted over the amount of time spent planning and fund raising and the lack of time spent seeking God’s will and provision!
Well, several days passed and the youth group from Cross Lake Evangelical Free Church arrived at ARC and my planning abilities were in full swing! Whether this group had plans for their stay or not, surely I could bless them with mine. I had made plans and preparations for their first breakfast, invited them to the 50’s Night supper and sought reinforcement from others for future meals. The trouble with my planning was that I didn’t know exactly how long they were going to stay. Monday and Tuesday went off without a hitch, but by Tuesday night I realized that I did not have a plan for breakfast the following morning, nor could I accomplish it on my own because of another commitment. I came to grips with the fact that I would have to tell them that I blew it. Relief came in the form of a text at 7:30 the next morning! Youth Pastor Scott informed me that someone had offered to take them to Vinnie’s for breakfast that morning and so he was hoping that I did not have something prepared at church. Wow! God really does provide; both for those who try to plan and for those who don’t!
As I shared my God-moment with Scott later that day, we talked about how much easier life is when we just submit to God’s plans. He really does have a plan for our lives and good works that he has prepared in advance for us to do! Scott said it reminded him of planning a vacation. When he planned a vacation for his family and the kids were just along for the ride and didn’t know any of the details, they had a great time and everyone experienced things together. But what if the kids had planned their own vacation and their own agenda for the trip. The trip would be filled with disappointment, anger, and frustrations.
What a comparison for life! Proverbs 19:21 says “Many are the plans in a man’s head, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” I have to swallow hard as I write this. I had many plans in my own head for this summer: camping, starting a running club for young girls, leading a Bible study, planting a garden, etc. Good plans! My plans for this summer did not include back surgery and recovery. And while canceling my plan is not my favorite thing to do, I do trust that the Lord’s purpose will prevail. God is good, all the time; and all the time, God is good!
Erin Jacobsma