I have probably mentioned before that my natural inclination is to plan and schedule my life. Even when I was little, I needed to know what the next step was and what our plans for the day were. Maybe it stemmed from a control issue, or maybe it was my way of assuring nothing would take me by surprise, that the plans were set in stone and there was no changing. If things did not go my way, it often resulted in disappointment and frustration because my expectations were not met. It's not always a bad thing to be a planner, though. My husband, Scott, likes to joke that I am his calendar and his schedule keeper, so when plans are being made, we know when and what we are committing to. It is comical how many times the Lord has tried to teach me the same lesson concerning this area of my life, though. How many times I have needed to be reminded that when things don’t go the way I planned, I need to pick up and roll with it instead of being broken by the change. It’s a lesson He is still teaching me because, unfortunately, I am forgetful and stubborn, so as I am my husband’s gentle reminder about our family schedule, the Lord is my gentle reminder to leave it at His feet.
“16For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” Colossians 1:16-18
3 But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the Lord has promised you. Deuteronomy 9:3
My first mission trip was to South Africa when I was 20 years old. I went with some members of the church I had grown up in, and while there, we were doing a week-long kids crusade (think VBS but all in one group) and training for the children’s pastors and volunteers. I had grown up with the songs, stories, lessons, and games we were doing with the kids and felt confident that every night would go off without a hitch…until the night I left the bag containing nearly all of our needed supplies back at our living accommodations. We were traveling just over an hour from where we were staying to the tent church we were ministering at, and so we used suitcases to bring all of our supplies back and forth since a tent church can’t necessarily be locked. In preparation for the next day I was setting up all of the needed bags in the hallway to be loaded onto the truck for the next day, and I mistakenly put one of the most important bags back into our storage room, leaving us to scramble ten minutes before the kids came running from school to the church. What a nightmare; my stomach still lurches when thinking about it, but the Lord went before us on that trip, and we made due with what we had. The resources in Africa are different than we have, and part of our ministry training for the kids ministry leaders there included ways to teach the kids with resources they already have on hand, so in the time we had before the kids showed up we put our money where our mouth was used what we had on hand. We had to roll with the changes and continue to do the work the Lord was giving us. Think of the song we sang on Sunday at church, “May His presence go before you, and behind you, and beside you, all around you, and within you.” When your plans go up in smoke, He’s already gone before you; He’s not surprised by the change, so roll with it.
27All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, 28 for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.” Psalm 22:27-28
I can admit that some of my need to plan comes out of a place of control, sometimes, dare I say, pride. I feel I know best, and when my plans are not followed, I feel attacked because, in my mind, there was no better way to have it accomplished. Whelp, the Bible reminds us that we should humble ourselves before the Lord, 34 He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.” And boy, have I felt mocked! Maybe not by the Lord, but He’s not afraid to convict me when my prideful heart starts showing. Once, at about fourteen years old, I was at a friend’s house, and as so many teenagers do, we decided it was an awesome opportunity to rearrange the furniture in her room. When it came time to move the dresser, we struggled with the weight of it, to the point we could hardly move it from its original spot until her little sister (four or so years younger than us) came skipping into the room to watch us struggle. She took one look at us, rolled her eyes, and told us to take the drawers filled with clothing out of the dresser first and then move it. My friend and I were immediately humbled that she had a better plan than us. Thankfully, we didn’t respond in the typically moody teenager way, but instead gave her high praise for such a good idea. This may be a silly story, but it sure serves as a reminder for me; my ways are NOT always the best. I can overcomplicate the simplest task (just ask Scott), and if I am never open to hearing others’ thoughts, I will just keep struggling. It’s the same with God; if I want to continue doing life MY way and not stop and humbling myself before the Lord of everything, I will just continue to struggle my way through life.
21 ”Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21
This is probably the most quoted scripture when it comes to surrendering your plans to the Lord. It’s black and white; we can plan and plan and plan, but at the end of the day, it’s the Lord’s purpose that will prevail. Many of you know that a group from Torch Youth Group will be going to Maui in March on a mission trip, and I will be joining them as a leader. We’ve had planning meetings as a team and meetings with the pastors from their churches; ideas have been flowing, and the kids have been preparing for how we will be serving…until last week. One phone call changed every single plan we had with less than a month before we leave. Every idea we pictured for what our ministry time would look like went out the window. Scott called me, telling me the news that our plans had gone up in smoke, and we just laughed. Instead of holding on so tightly to what we pictured, we knew we had to pivot and roll with what is being done now. No worry came across either of us, just because we don’t know the ins and outs doesn’t mean the Lord has suddenly wiped His hands of this trip and is leaving us to our own devices! He still has us, He has still gone before us, His name will still be preached, and all we can do is lay down our expectations and allow Him to move. New plans have been made, but our whole team understands that at any moment, it can change again. How we handle that change is up to us.
Letting go is something I am still learning and trying to implement into my life on a daily basis, it’s not always going to be handled with ease like Hawaii, my pride will still get in the way at times and I will need to humble myself again. But, if you’re like me and you struggle with letting go of your plans I encourage you to try visualizing it, whatever expectation you might have or area you want to control, and picture yourself laying it at the feet of Jesus. Picture His throne room, God the Father with Jesus at His right hand, and put whatever it is His feet. Take a quiet moment when you feel tempted to pick it back up and hold onto it, and put it right back down. I’ve talked so much before about trusting Jesus and this is just one more exercise, to continue to let go of what we want to hold onto and place it at His feet. He will see to it, His purposes will be accomplished; He rules over all, He is not to busy to take the weight of your yolk. He is our Good, Good Father.
In Christ,
Becca Drumheller
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