Preparing vs. Planning

As my Mom always says:  “If you want to make God laugh, just make plans”.

As I child, I hated hearing my Mom say this.  Especially if it were in the midst of sharing my dreams of going on a great vacation or of the things I would do / accomplish in the future!  But as the years past, I found that my Mom was right on track with this one.

Ever since I began this faith journey almost four years ago, I have continually attempted (and failed) to surrender all control to God.  This includes control of my future…  And even though I am completely convinced that I “my plans” are “little” and “His plans” are “BIG”, I constantly try to put my plans into action.  A few years ago, I finally put (most) of my plans aside and I surrendered to His plans…  At which point the control freak in me took over and I started trying to take credit for and dictate “His plans” as though they were my own!

Why?!?!  I know my plans aren’t this crazy!  I know my plans never work out for the good of anyone other than myself!  (My plans always end with me making a million dollars.)  How can I possibly try to take credit for His work?  How powerful is my sinful Pride that it can attach itself to His plans?

The uncertainty of the future has really been stressing me out over the past few weeks.  Fundraising isn’t going as well as I had “planned” and I had been questioning whether this whole “move to Costa Rica” plan was mine or His.  Then, I had a great friend (Dave Hendricks) give me these pearls of wisdom:  “I’m not planning anything, but I am preparing.”

Absolutely Genius.

I’m confident God called us to Costa Rica.  Did He say “January” or was that me?  I’m not sure, but it doesn’t matter.  It’s His plan and His timeline we’re following, not mine.  If He wants to change the plan, so be it, it’s His to change.  My only responsibility is to be available and ready when He calls on me to be a part of His plan.  I heard Duke say the other day… “You could have bought a ticket if all you wanted to do was watch the game from the sidelines.”  Thus, if you want to get off the bench and get into the big game, you’ve got be ready!

And that’s why my goal is not to plan on going to Costa Rica, but only to prepare for the time and place He calls me in.

Put me in coach, I’m ready to play.