This summer I have had the privilege of coming together with ladies in my small group and going through Jackie Kendall’s book, “Surrender your jr. god badge.” The overall challenge of this book is to stop trying to play God, and instead trust Him.
Week after week we continue sharing stories of how the Lord is using this book and the scripture it is based on to open our eyes to the moments we attempt to take control back from God. In the introduction of the book, Jackie shares a letter she received from a reader about surrendering control to God. I want to share a snippet of it with you today,
“In our home, we refer to our days as abiding by either Plan A or Plan B. Plan B is the one we design. Plan A operates by God’s perfect design. Plan A is often more chaotic because, well, we did not plan on it, but the results are far sweeter” (Kendall, p. 23).
I love this mindset! Imagine the freedom that we would experience if we approached each day this way. How have you been doing lately? Has your desire for control blinded you from the daily blessings God wants to give you when His plan interrupts your own?
I know we can all think of examples in our own lives where God’s plan greatly effected the plan we had made for ourselves. Some of these stories resulted in blessing and celebration, while others still don’t make sense, and we are continuing to question why God allowed it to happen.
So how do we live life in the balance? How do we act responsibly and plan ahead while still surrendering control and keeping our eyes open for God’s interruptions?
First, remember that you aren’t alone. Get into the scriptures. They are packed with stories of Believers who experienced first hand what it is like to have God interrupt their plans. Just to start, take a look at Noah, Moses, Abraham, Esther, David and Mary.
Secondly, remember the importance of having an eternal perspective. God’s plan and His kingdom will always trump our plans on this earth. You will never ever regret telling someone else about the Lord and His love for him, or sharing your own story with another and how God has transformed your life. You will probably not remember what you were doing when God’s plan interrupted your own, but you will never forget the impact trusting the Lord’s plan over your own had on your life and maybe the eternal life of another.
And lastly, leave your plans in God’s hands. James 4:13-15 says,
“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’ – yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
“If the Lord wills.” Can you put those four words before you make your plans? Can you surrender your plans to Him from the very start? Can you trust the creator of the universe?
My prayer for myself and all of you is that we make our plan B’s, but with open hands hold them out to the Lord and welcome the plan A interruptions He sends our way. These interruptions are never accidents, and are always meant to draw us and others closer to Himself.