Currently, we are waiting to get our car fixed before we return home. My work contract ended yesterday, and we had a plan to leave today, go on some side adventures on the way and basically be back home in a week. We spent time coordinating the drive, time, parks, and spots to see along the way. However, God had something else in mind. As so often seems to happen with these things, that annoying yet ever so true Scripture verse came to mind. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Is 55:8-9)
As an aside, it’s annoying because it’s something I know to be true, but I forget the truth. I forget and get eyeball deep in planning, stressing, thinking, and hoping. I have these ideas that I think are superb, only to have them dismantled. I hear this voice saying, “well, His plan is probably better than the one you came up with.” Or the saying echoes in my head, “You make plans and God laughs.” So here we are, going according to a different and unknown plan, yet somehow it is more successful. I will say, I felt more at ease this time than in past experiences of the same nature. Maybe because it was a simple change of plans that the final outcome is not really changed, but rather the route to get there. So i shrugged my shoulders and thought “O well!” What more could I do? Get upset or frustrated I didn’t get my way and yet still have the same circumstance?
In returning to the story, my wife called to let me know the car wouldn’t start 3 days before we’re set to leave. The next day was Friday and all I could think was “well… we’re not leaving on time.” The chances it was something simple were good but I also wondered if it was the death of this vehicle. That would make our next 2 weeks very interesting, as anyone who has shopped for a car knows it can be quite the process. On the other hand, the chances they could fix it in less than a day, no matter the complexity of the problem, were slim. So I surrendered to leaving Monday.
Here we are, Sunday. Learning to let go. I guess I had it coming, always praying for humility and grace. The power to accept the plan God has for me. And this is a small thing; car trouble. So I believe part of this is giving small annoyances and changes for me to handle and if I can handle those, progressively bigger challenges will arise to further test my faith. “…for you know the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (Jas 1:3)
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