I am much more flexible since I’ve retired—or so I thought. It turns out I still like a solid plan. I like to know what’s going on. My eye begins twitching when my well thought out arrangements change at the last minute.
After all, my plans are like the Ten Commandments—set in stone!
Change
It was all planned out, my day trip with the girls. I knew who topick up first, how many we would have in the car, what we would need to take with us. Then the unraveling began.
“Ellen, can you pick me up a little later than we planned?”
“Ellen, I asked So-and-so to ride with us. Do you mind?”
“Ellen, we need to meet earlier, or we’ll be stuck in lunch traffic.”
Oh, Change, you are my nemesis!
Pivot
“Honey, for our twenty-eighth anniversary this year, I want to have dinner out on our actual anniversay. I want it to be on the exact date we were married, not a week later or a day before.”
“Sure Hon, whatever you want.”
But family committments and invitations upended my well laid plans.
Time with family, or my plans? What to do?
Pivot!
We moved our special dinner to the night before our anniversary. We rearranged the day of our anniversary to visit with family.
Detour
“The road crew will begin repairs on the bridge on Monday. We’ll need to take a detour everytime we leave the neighborhood. The work will last four months.”
I hate detours. They add extra time to my errands. On Sundays we’ll be turning into the church parking lot on two wheels, screeching to a halt and running into Bible study class.
Detours really do take chunks of stoneout of my perfect plans!
Checking my journal, I realize I have mentioned change five times in the last month. Wow! Lot of change going on in my life. Evidently, I’m not as averse to change as I used to be.
Matter of fact, I think the Lord is teaching me to embrace No, not that. Love? No, absolutely not. Maybe like? Nope, not even like. Perhaps He’s trying to show me how accept changes, pivots and detours in my life.
And while I don’t love change, I occasionally have to, well, change and be flexible.
But why is the Lord throwing so much change at me so fast?
He’s trying to get my attention.
He knows I’m a control freak (kinda sorta) and He wants me to understand this: Control is a sense of entitlement. People need to follow my plans because I said so. My plans deserve to be followed because they are the best way.
But are they?
Nope, not at all. Jesus has a different path for me to take. He wants me to detour from my strict plan and follow His.
When Jesus calls you in a different direction, it’s worth the detour.
Change is hard, but it’s necessary for growth. Accepting change is being obedient. It’s telling Jesus “Yes!”
Stubbornly following my plans when I should be adjusting brings stress into my life. It overworks my brain. My plan is strict and doesn’t allow for last minute changes – even good ones. Following in Jesus’ steps brings peace and stillness, rest and happiness.
“We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” Proverbs 6:9 (NLT)
“Point me down your highway, GOD; direct me along a well-lighted street” Psalm 27:11 (MSG)
For His Glory,
