Planing to be Flexible with Plans

My husband and I have a colored coded Google calendar that makes my planning heart happy. I love opening up my phone and seeing the purple and orange events fill our days with fun. And if I'm being honest, I also love rewriting those plans in a hard copy planner for the simple joy and satisfaction of crossing items off the agenda. My name is Brittany Horn, and I am a planner, a doer. As Tom and I transition into the teachery bliss that is summer, I realize that out of excitement of the season I have already planned most of our free days. Plans to go to the pool, eat good food, make good food, clean up the house, fix and build things for the house, learn new things, meet new friends, be with old friends...they're all good things. In my planning frenzy, however, I have been convicted of two things:

1. My frustration when a wrinkle is thrown in my plans.  
2. My inability to soak up each moment and be tuned in to God during each event on the checklist.

I was completely aware of God's perfect plan and the beauty of that plan as my sister had a BEAUTIFUL baby boy just two days ago. I'm emotional and I haven't even held that little cutie yet! She went in for her normal doctor appointment and her water broke right then and there. We all made bets on when the baby would enter this world, but it is moments like these when you realize that God's perfect plans trump any plans that we make. We simply can't plan when a baby will take it's first breath or the emotions that will take us over in that moment, just like we can't plan what God will do with our days.

"The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord" (Proverbs 16:1).

Our God is good, he is perfect, and this verse only reiterates that He is Soveriegn. His plans can not be altered. *As a disclaimer: planning is still important and good. If I didn't plan anything, I may end up watching netflix or "instagramming" my life away, but how much more purposeful would that calendar look if I considered, if I submitted to the will of God and planned to be flexible in his guiding.

As always, Christ himself is our prime example. Jesus lived his life on earth in subject to God's will and his perfect plan. "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me "(John 6:38). And Christ didn't just say that he was on earth to do God's will, he died on the cross to be raised from the dead! "My father if it is possible let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will" (Matthew 26:39).

I'm not even the tiniest bit as in tuned with God's will as Jesus (In fact, it weren't for Jesus, I would be nothing but dead in my sin), but He died for us so that we could know Him more. We can pray Psalm 143:8 as we plan, "let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life."

My prayer is that this summer will be a time of growing closer to God and making that the number one plan. Rather than hurry from one event to the next, I pray that I see God in each event. Finally, I need to be able to chunk my plans when they fail to meet God's plan for my day. Summer is a time for fun, but also a special built in time to grow closer to God and get my mind off of myself.  He is at work whether we plan on noticing Him or not.

God can't be just another color on the calendar. He is and alwasy will be the one who holds our plans and our days in His hands. So this summer is a time to plan to be flexible with the plans.