Altered Plans

Plans...we make them, we anticipate them, we arrange for them, we count on them, we work around them but what happens when they are changed? Then what? Memorial Day weekend was set aside for our family to all meet in Austin at the lake......even our two week old baby Molly. I was so excited to have us all together (except our NY kids) that I could hardly sleep. My husband and I went up on Friday, some came in on Sat. and the rest on Sunday am. We had shared fun times in the pool, on the lake and in the boat, played dominoes, did puzzles, had a great Sat night, but by dinner time on Sunday, things begin to unravel. Sam, my precious one year old grandson took the house down with an unsuspecting stomach bug. And truly knocked five adults and four kids off their feet. Baby Molly and her parents were the last to come and the only ones unblemished. Our plans had been rerouted and changed and most everyone was on the road by 9:00 am on Monday... three of us stayed til Tuesday, my Molly, Mel and I. It was a quick bug, but a strong one nevertheless. Still amazes me everyday to think that something we cannot see can cause such havoc in our lives...and alter plans...and change our course and cause us to change perspectives.

This was only a little bug...that lasted for a short while...I think of the big diseases that have such devastating effects on so many and for an undetermined length of time. It is hard when we are forced to rethink, reorganize, and regroup from our original mindset....and adjust our plans according to situations that unexpectedly arise. And it seems intangible to grasp the fact that God is present and our constant companion and helper when we can't even see him. But that is where "tried" faith and truth come to bat. For thought that tried faith and truth we look back and KNOW GOD was there when things were going smooth and he was there when things began to get rocky and he remains constantly with us when things seem to be turned upside down again. He will forever be our trusted companion. On that we have to plant our stance. Situations may change, and plans altered but God remains constant...in his faithfulness and his love.

As I was reflecting over the weekend, and the plans that had been changed, two things occurred to me. The first was that I was blessed to have this many people to love and care about. In the midst of tough stuff there is always something good to grasp onto, but you sometimes have to dig for it. I have found the more positive pulls you can find the more apt you are to giving your attitude a boost of goodness and joy. That has to be God's good medicine. And the second thgouth that I had was this: the time that we all shared in the good times and the sick times...are times that God enriches our lives. Nobody wants to be sick and nobody wants anyone else to be sick...but what happens is that the stronger ones end up unselfishly caring for the weaker ones....and bonds grow stronger. Just as parents care for their kids and kids grow up to care for their parents....it is the one who is the stronger at the time who picks up the baton and keeps the thread of life engaged and lit. True caring for others means that we are giving up selfish ways, sacrificing what we want to do for the sake of helping someone else who is not able to help themselves.

Jeremiah 29:11-12

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. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
I heard it said once that we can make our plans but God has the power and the resources to change them at any time....and he does. I have to ask myself, when my plans change.....am I willing to submit to God's interruption and find an upside of what seems to be, and often is, a downsized sidestep to a joy that I had envisioned or mope around and let disappointment take over? We don't have choices to accept or not accept when sickness strikes...it is before us...but what we do have is the choice of attitude. Are we going to look for a positive or settle for the negative? Do we choose to be alone in weakness and out of control situations, or are we looking for strength by focusing on the blessings that are found lingering beneath complications of plan changes. Better to be with God, seeking God, and depending on God than to choose to be alone. He is our ultimate helper in times of trouble. He is the one who has strength to give, and faith to stand upon, and courage to build our fortress around. His love never wavers, his provisions never lacking, his presence never gone, his grace never ends.

When our personal plans change, God is in the midst, and he can and does use those changes to advance his purposes.
The weekend had a crazy ending, but even in the grips of sickness, I watched the love of family. For with the high times come a few low ones...so that we will remember to appreciate the blessings that are before us. It is not in our plans that we gain the greatest merit, it is in the relationships that are formed through the plans and through the interruptions as well that
bring about the bonding of friendships and relationships.

Isaiah 28:28-29

28 Grain must be ground to make bread;
so one does not go on threshing it forever.
The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it,
but one does not use horses to grind grain.
29 All this also comes from the LORD Almighty,
whose plan is wonderful,
whose wisdom is magnificent.



In each of my devotionals I close with the phrase below...it was something the Lord put on my heart when my youngest daughter Molly was diagnosed with cancer...she was 16 at the time now in remission at age of 21...I stand by that truth for God has shown me over and over that His light does shine through dark times. I pray that you too will see his light when your plans are altered and tough times come knocking at your door. God is so faithful.

Dear Lord, In sickness and in health may we grow to appreciate your unbridled love and attention to each of our lives. May we accept gracefully the interruptions that you allow in our lives and strive to find the blessings that are packed within them. Amen


Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!