Living "Plan B"

Do you ever feel like you’re living the “Plan B” version of your life? Or maybe even the “Plan C” or “Plan D” versions?

Don’t we often approach life during our college or near post-college years thinking and assuming that our lives would look a certain way? Maybe we had certain plans for marriage and family or careers or living in a certain location…only to find out somewhere down the road that this plan wasn’t going to happen.

Maybe "Plan A" seemed to be chugging along like anticipated for a while…maybe for many years…and then something happened that completely altered that Plan.

Maybe "Plan A" never got off the ground to begin with.

I often feel like I’m living a “Plan B”. But then as I consider those close to me…and even some people I don’t really know that well…I can’t help but be reminded of some of the things I know these people have gone through, and are currently going through, that no one would ever include in a "Plan A". Painful, tragic, frustrating, hurtful, confusing things. Some things for which healing and restoration may take years…if ever. Maybe we're all living "Plan B". 

And there are the times when I think of how wise God is to have not lead me down a certain road – a road that at one point, I thought was the way I was to go.

There is a Woody Allen quote that says “If you want to see God laugh, tell him about your plans”. I’m not a Woody Allen fan, but his point is true. God is sovereign and in control of all things over life, most especially whatever plans we may make for ourselves.

Maybe I need to come to grips with the realization that Plan A – God’s plan – is going to be a mystery to me revealed one small piece at a time. I may not like what I see, but I need to have hope and confidence that it is the right thing. Because it’s His thing…and He is a good God who will never lead me wrong.

“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” – Psalm 139:16