I’m one of those people who hasn’t had a truly messy room since middle school (a place for everything and everything in it’s place, right?). I’ve carried a planner around with me since fourth or fifth grade (initially only because I liked the pretty designs on the cover, but that’s beside the point). In elementary school, before cell phones were much of a thing, I was the girl who went to the book fair not necessarily to look at books, but instead to look at the digital organizers that were sold there. I usually had my birthday party planned out down to the color scheme and cake flavor about two months in advance and always got my homework for the weekend done on Friday afternoon. I would reorganize my closet at least twice a year. And this is just elementary/middle school aged me. Get the picture?
Flash forward to high school, and although I still kept a planner religiously and had my homework finished by Friday night, my planning changed a little bit, I started to plan more long term. Once you see people you know starting to declare majors, choose colleges and move away you naturally start to wonder where it is that you’ll end up. Thus, began my high school planning career: my plan was to go to school in Indiana (though I also looked at universities in California, Tennessee and Ireland). I was going to be a music major, and was going to meet my special someone in college.
Graduation came and went, and my plans flip flopped as I started to feel incredibly strongly that I needed to stay in Colorado Springs for one more year. So I, the girl who couldn’t wait to move out of state and begin college life, stayed home with no plan and no idea what she was supposed to do. This was one of the first times I can remember learning that, sometimes, plans change -- and sometimes, that’s OK.
During that year at home, my best friend was in her senior year of high school and looking at colleges herself; at the time she was looking seriously at Baylor and Colorado Christian University, and asked if I wanted to go with her to tour CCU. I went, but only because I would get to spend a day in Denver with her, not because I had even the slightest desire to go to CCU. In fact, I was dead set against going to school in Colorado, and during high school had glanced at CCU’s website for a whole five minutes before deciding I would never go there. That’s hilarious to me, considering a year later I was moving into my residence hall at Colorado Christian University while my best friend was moving into her dorm at UW. Sometimes, plans change -- and sometimes, that’s OK.
That first year of college was a whirlwind of emotion, laughter, tears and memories. And I am so thankful I allowed God to change my plans because I can’t imagine my life without the friends I made at school and can’t imagine having been out of state and so far from my family. I went home at least once every month or two -- I even got homesick and was only an hour away.
Although I entered CCU as a music major (again, I was following what was left of my life plan), it wasn’t long before I felt unsettled in that major. In April of this year, I switched to business administration with a marketing emphasis and a music minor. A slight 180 degree turn, right? Likewise, my best friend has expressed over and over again how thankful she is that the doors opened for her at UW; she will be going back in just a few weeks, and was even promoted to a supervisor at her campus job.
Meanwhile, this summer, I only unpacked half of my things because I was planning on moving back to Denver for my second year of college; I was also planning on studying abroad next spring in Ireland. Long story short, through my roommate’s older brother I heard about the Disney College Program, which flipped my plans yet again. And I’m excited to say that as of a week ago, I will be staying here in Colorado Springs again for a semester (still taking classes, though) and will hopefully be attending the Disney College Program next spring. What’s more, the guy I’ve liked for ages asked me out, which I definitely didn’t see coming -- and what a sweet blessing he is! Sometimes, plans change -- and sometimes, that’s OK.
As the girl who has always had a plan for everything (at least for the big things; I tend to wing it when hanging out with my friends or family), I for sure don’t have my life figured out. I might think I have things figured out, but that’s just an illusion. I still have a planner. My room is still clean. I still reorganize my closet about twice a year. I still set goals and chase them. And I think it’s important that we all continue to do these things so we aren’t wandering aimlessly from day to day. However, I’m also learning that it’s just as important to hold those plans loosely, should God need to redirect our steps slightly. Because, ultimately, His plan is the best and as great as our plan might seem to us at the time, it won’t compare to the blessing and beauty of following where the Lord leads.
Because, sometimes, plans change — and sometimes, that’s OK.
