March 19, 2021
I am a planner. I like to know what to expect out of my day, week, month, even year. I like to know things in advance so I can plan for them. While I enjoy an occasional (happy) surprise, such as a gift, I do not like sudden changes in the plans I had made. As a mom, my plans can be quickly changed by the needs of my children. All it takes is a three digit number on a thermometer and all the plans for that day change. While I have learned to be more flexible, I still struggle with last minute changes. I often find myself repenting of my selfishness as I lament the changes others make in my plans.
Planning can be a good thing. We serve a God of order, and it is good to do things in an orderly manner. If I come into a day with no plans, absolutely nothing gets done. While the kids may enjoy a day of watching TV and doing whatever they want, I tend to get more stressed as the day goes on and the house becomes more messy and chaotic. A plan, even if it is a loose one, provides some sort of structure for our day. As a homeschooling family, I have to have lesson plans ready for each day of learning. I cannot expect my daughter to learn well if I don’t even know what she has learned and what she is supposed to learn next. As the main shopper and preparer of food, I have to have a plan for picking up what we need and preparing food to be ready at meal times. I prefer to spend one day a week thinking about what we will have for dinner rather than wrestle with that question every single night. This also helps me plan a grocery list that stays within our budget for the week as I am only getting the supplies we need for those meals as well as replenishing a few staples. These small plans may seem insignificant, but they help our house and family run smoothly throughout the week.
Plans can change in an instant. Most often, it is other people who change my plans, and I am learning to gracefully accept those changes. I don’t always succeed in having a good attitude, or being willing to change, but it is an area I am definitely working on! When Mommy is in high demand, especially due to the illness of a child, it leaves her little time to do anything else, and sometimes takes away attention from other children. I have a husband who is not as much of a planner, and may come home with a plan to order something or go somewhere for dinner. I have learned that dinner plans can be moved to another day or what is already cooked can be saved for an easy meal the next day. Just as I have learned to go with the flow on some things, my husband has also learned to call ahead or check with me before he changes plans to help me prepare for such changes. (There have definitely been some tearful times when I struggled with a sudden change of plans and just couldn’t wrap my head around the sudden changes.) The Lord is teaching me that my plans may be useful, but they are not more important than the people in my life. Sometimes plans need to change. Sometimes there is someone in need of help, food, counsel, friendship, or the like. Our plans must be pushed aside as we reach out to meet the needs of others.
You can plan for the unexpected. I have started to keep some things on hand that make it easier for me to adjust my plans when things pop up throughout my day. I try to always have basic first aid and hygiene items ready for whatever my children get into in a given day. Having these items stocked also makes it easier to provide for the needs of others who may be in need. If I have more than I need packed in the diaper bag, I can share without worry about my own child’s needs not being met. I try to keep some staple items in the pantry for those days when we have extra, unexpected, dinner guests. I have learned that pasta and rice are great ways to stretch a meal when you have more diners than expected. Having canned goods, such as soup, on hand also make for quick and easy hot lunches if someone drops by in the afternoon. Having these items handy also removes my excuses for not helping others when they are in need.
One of my greatest comforts is knowing that no matter how much my plans get changed, God’s plan has not changed. He is in sovereign control of all things, and nothing takes him by surprise. Proverbs 16:9 reminds us, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” These glitches in my day, these interruptions in my plans, and these nuscenses that throw me off kilter are all part of God’s plan. God continually uses interruptions to my plans to show me that I am not the one in control. I have watched what seemed like my ideal life ripped apart not knowing what was going to happen next. I have paid for groceries not knowing how I was going to pay for them the next week. I have packed up and moved not knowing where I would end up. I have left a job not knowing when or where I would find the next. In every situation, God provided. While I did not know the plan, God did. God knew that he would tear down my judgmental attitude and give me a compassion for others that he could use to help people in similar circumstances. God knew that there were people waiting for an opportunity to bless me with gift cards or groceries as he taught them that their resources were to be used to bless others. God knew that he was moving me to a new state where I would find a new job, new friends, and a family I could never have imagined. Things may seem confusing and chaotic from time to time. We may not understand what or why God is doing something or allowing something to happen. However; God’s plan will prevail.