I love to make plans. Whether it’s what I’m going to cook for dinner or what I’m going to do with my life, I’m a fan of planning ahead. You should see my Christmas shopping spreadsheet. The problem is, my plans often aren’t God’s.
When I was little, I planned to be a ballerina (and a princess). When I was in high school, I planned to be a marine scientist (chemistry–ha!). When I graduated college, I planned to be a journalist (I was, briefly). Now I’m busy planning my career as an author.
I don’t think any of my plans have worked out the way I intended. Oh, they’ve all worked out beautifully, but almost always in spite of me. And almost always in a way I could never have dreamt.
My plan at the moment is for an agent to call me and offer representation. Then we’ll polish my novel, submit it to a few editors and in short order I’ll be contracted, polishing again, then published. The Memory of Drowning will sell like crazy. Book two, then book three will also be hits. And I’ll use my fame and fortune to benefit a variety of causes. That’s my plan.
There’s ONE thing I know about this plan. It won’t go as planned. Experience tells me that things NEVER work out exactly the way I have them arranged in my head. Experience also tells me that if I give it enough time, I’ll see that God’s plan is infinitely better.
I saw this video recently. WATCH IT. The woman who owned Ricochet the surfing dog had a plan for her puppy. God had something else in mind. You decide if it’s better. (And get a Kleenex.)