by Kelly Szymanski

Created on: January 03, 2011

“God has a plan for your life.” I heard that so much growing up that it really did become a part of me. I believed it then, and I believe it now. Thankfully I have a much better understanding of it now than I did then.

I used to believe that God had one plan for me. Just one. That there was one path for my life to follow and that if I messed it up then I was doomed to live a pointless life, a life that God merely tolerated because I am His child and He has an obligation to keep His word to love me.

That meant that I would have to figure out exactly what His plan for me was, and then execute it perfectly. Talk about pressure! Thankfully, now understand how wrong that line of thinking was.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope, and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11. This verse of scripture tells me two things that I find encouraging: 1) that He has plans for me. Plural. As in more than one, and 2) that they are good.

“…Your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven…” Mathew 6:10.  Like most Christians I’ve prayed this prayer many times in church, most often merely as part of a congregational recitation. But I’ve also said it in times of personal prayer, and I meant it. I guess that means that nothing in my life is without meaning and purpose, even the ugly stuff. I may not understand it or how it works, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

“…but the plans of the Lord stand firm…” Psalm 33:11

“….what I have planned, that will I do…”  Isaiah 46:11

God’s plans always come to pass. His plans cannot be thwarted. I may not know the plans He has for me, but as I walk in faith I know that I will live His plan for me. I may take a detour along the way; I may mess up and get distracted for a time. I may rush things and get out ahead of Him or drag my feet and lag behind. But in the end I’ll be where I’m supposed to be, and I’ll have accomplished His will for me.

Maybe that’s why it is impossible to please God without faith: we start fearing that we have missed His plan so we stop moving forward. We get mired in our mistakes, our lies, our fears and, instead of taking the necessary steps to set everything right we just stay there, acting as if we don’t know what we need to do.

I won’t be doing that anymore. In the past year I’ve learned the value of honesty and at least attempting to correct my mistakes. Not because I’m such a good person, because I’m not. But because I have learned my lesson. God can run my life better than I can, but He requires honesty and faithfulness. I’ll do my part because His part is so very much better than anything I can ask or imagine. And I want it.

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