First, let me preface and say that no, I have not found the secret to life or a concrete reason of why bad things happen in our world. But, I just wanted to share a few reminders of how to deal with a change of plans.
Have you ever had something happen in your life where you genuinely just don’t understand why? A situation that leaves you wondering why a God so great would place such tragedy and hardships into this life that is claimed to be so beautiful?
Now, have you ever had a planner, agenda or journal? If so, you know things don’t always go as planned. There are always words on your to-do list that remain unchecked-off at the end of the day, and there are always new experiences, that were not expected to write down in your journal at the end of the day. Think about making plans with a friend. You compare schedules, you look for open time slots and sometimes the two agendas just don’t match up.
That is what happens when bad things happen to good people. Our plan just doesn’t line up with God’s.
If this were your friend’s schedule, and you were planning lunch, you would not give them too much crap about it. You wouldn’t totally abandon the friendship or lose all faith in the relationship. So, why is it that when God’s agenda strays from ours, we lose it? Our faith becomes shaken and we find ourselves questioning him. Maybe it is because we trust Him to love and always take care of us. Because of this, we tend to believe that our will merges with His will; when in reality they are oh so different. We only notice the difference between His will and ours when we find ourselves smothered in suffering and suffocating in heartache.
Why did this happen to me? What did I do to deserve this pain? How could a God so powerful let this happen?
But, do not lose your faith. In fact, as a Christian, we should find ourselves leaning more instead of doubting our trust. We have to understand that we don’t have the same knowledge as Him.
Joshua 1:9 tells us, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
The Lord got your back, OK!
Whether you are struggling with stress, school, anxiety, family drama, an injury, depression, an illness or the loss of a friend or family member, you have to remember that you just peeped into God’s agenda. His plans just went into overdrive and overrode every single thing that you ever planned, and that is OK. He wouldn’t put us through any heartbreaking situations that we could not take and cultivate into making us a stronger person.
It’s OK to not understand. It’s OK when things do not go as planned. Because, when you walk with faith in the Lord, he will always take care of you.
Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
So from now on, let’s try to think of our trials and tribulations as change of plans or a new path; because that’s all they are. They are switching up what we wanted and hoped to happen, with what God already has planned for our beautiful lives.
