The Best Laid Plans...

Have you ever said to God, "Ok, ok Lord... I get it... I get it!" :)  Haha.  Over the last week or so, the Lord has really been dealing with me about the idea of my plans.  I am a Type A personality.  A planner.  Anal retentive to the tenth degree.

Can anyone relate?  I hope so!!  I know I'm not the only freak who has ongoing lists for groceries, to-do's (I have one separate for school, one for adoption stuff, one for "other" life stuff), house projects to be done, etc.  I even had a notebook for my wedding ideas!  (that one freaked Justin out a little bit when we were dating - hahahha)

So here's the problem - when it comes to life, God has been telling me that I'm wasting my time making plans.  There are so many phrases out there about planning ahead - "Life is what happens when you're busy making plans" is one many have heard of!  Obviously, I see the merit in planning ahead and organization.  But I am realizing more and more that "if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans."

I didn't think I had a problem with forward thinking.  But last week, I came to an epiphany... and a pity party.  I was telling Justin how I was realizing that I am almost 29 (gasp!!) and my life is no where near where I saw myself at age 29.  I told him that I guess God "just had other plans for us."  Then, a guest speaker came to our church today - it was as if he were speaking to me!  He told story after story about just believing in God for certain things without making plans (financially, or otherwise), and how God came through each and every time, usually above and beyond his needs.  AMAZING.  He brought up a good point - we ask the Lord for something in our life (like, say, a baby??) and then take it into our own hands and then wonder why things don't work out for us?

If that wasn't enough, God wanted to underline, place in bold, and italicize this notion for me today - I was again catching up on my blogs when Kelly (of Kelly's Korner) blogged about making plans.  So that's when I said, "ok, ok I get it God!" :)

Certainly, planning ahead is usually better than just wingin' it........  But sometimes (ok, all the time!) when we make plans for something we may go about it in this order:

1. Pray about our need first - "God please allow us to adopt a little baby!" =D
2. Wait on God for his answer.  Say amen and then make a list of things "to do" in order to make that need happen.  "Ok, so we are gonna need lots of money, so here I go, making sure that this is done and that is done .... spaghetti supper here, yard sale there..."
3. Watch God supply our needs because we believed in Him and His provision.  Get frustrated when our plans don't work out.  "How am I going to raise all this money???  OMG, I'm freaking out!!"

Thankfully, God wants to give us every dime to bring our little baby home to us - with and/or without our dabbling in His Plans.  How come it's so easy to take things into our own hands and do it, rather than trust God in the promise He's given us?  We (I) don't have to control everything - we are (I am) failures/human/imperfect - He is never-failing/omnipotent/perfect!!  We (*I*) have to trust Him.  Believe Him.  He has made a promise to me.  To us.  To YOU.  It's hard, but I've gotta quit trying to be in the driver's seat.  Let Him drive you to the promise; top down, sun on your face, breeze blowing in your hair!  I definitely know it will be worth it, and I will use this as part of our testimony one day.

Love,

"They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor" ~ Isaiah 61:3