“’For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” – Jeremiah 29:11

Since I was a little girl I have consistently been asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” My typical response was being a vet, a teacher, a president, a nurse, etc. But when I started growing up, my plans started changing. This happens to almost every girl. While we grow up we are all dreaming of becoming pop stars, actresses, anything that we believed to be the coolest jobs any person could have. It was easy to pick a job that you wanted to do because when you were little the sky was the limit.

In high school when we were asked this question our answers became more relevant. Not only were we expected to answer seriously, but this question was asked along with a few others: “What are your plans for college?” “What are you going to major in?” “When do you think you’ll get married?” “Are you going to stay friends with your friends?” When asked all of these questions and not being able to answer them right away, girls typically freak out and start making plans.

These plans typically consist of what college we want to go to and what our major is going to be. We plan out how many years it will take us to earn these degrees. We plan to make sure we are going to go to college with all of our friends. We plan out what age we are going to get married at and how many children we want.

We fill our Pinterest boards with these dreams and hopes that we have, which are really great things to do, but what happens when you don’t get into that college? What happens when your friends choose to go to a different school than y’all had planned? What happens when you don’t get that scholarship you worked so hard for or when you don’t get the award that you know you deserved? What happens when you have to choose a different major because the field you had chosen was not at all what you had expected? Maybe, the guy who you were supposed to always be with broke your heart. What happens when you gain a few pounds instead of losing them? Someone you love passes away. You don’t get the grades you need in the one class you hate. Maybe you don’t make the sports team that you so desperately wanted to join. Maybe you didn’t get the internship or job that you applied for. What happens when everything that you planned falls apart?

I have been there.

There comes a time when we all realize that we are not in charge of our fate. We are not able to know every situation and problem that comes up in our lives. But, there is one person who we can always count on to pull us through these troubling times that we have entered. He has a purpose for everything that has happened in our lives and he knows what we have in store. His name is God.

When life takes an unexpected turn, those are the times you have to cling to Him the tightest, trusting that His plan is what is best. This is easier said than done, but you must keep pursuing Him. I have learned that even when I hate to admit it, His plan is always 100 percent better than mine.

When your plan ends, it does not mean it is the end of the world. There is always something else to look forward to. Choose to be happy despite your circumstances, have faith that God knows what he is putting you through and that it is all for the greater good. You can change directions at any point and go a different way. You can take the bad and make something beautiful out of it, if you allow God to take full control of your heart.

So, make the best of that school you did get in to, make new friends- you may find they are better than the old ones. Apply for more scholarships, or get a job. Move on from the guy that broke your heart; he does not deserve you. God has a guy lined up for you who will love you completely. Spend all the time you can with your loved ones, you may never know when it is going to be their time. Study more to get the grades that you want. Apply for more jobs, or try to spend your summer serving others instead. Join a different club or get involved in other organizations on campus. Pray that you will find whatever it is that you are looking for. If you find your delight in God first, then pursue other activities that make you happy; He will give you the desires of your heart.

My friend, I promise you it is going to be OK.