It was one of those things that I had planned with our team at church months ago. We had done it before, and it was an easy and fun activity for kids and parents and grandparents. We all buy train tickets to a town about 45 minutes by rail, we get off and head to a wonderful ice cream parlor and everyone buys just what they want. There is a park across the street, and we let all the kids play until time for the return trip. For me it had been a week with some challenging things in it, so I was looking forward to relaxing and just having some fun with my grandchildren and my friends. And then...the night before I got sick. When midnight came, I knew that I wasn’t going to go on a train trip that Saturday! Our gang did a great job of heading out on the train, eating the ice cream and traveling back to the home station. Me? I laid in bed. The covid tests I took that day came back negative, but I was still feeling worn out and wondering why this happened. I had been tired, but it didn’t seem overly so and I had no other illnesses recently. But just on that day...I couldn’t go...my plans just didn’t work out. I bet you’ve had that happen to you too! And a lot of times you had plans that were so much more significant than riding on a train for fun and eating ice cream. Sometimes our plans and God’s plans don’t match up. And some of those plans that don’t become reality can be heartbreaking. Maybe God had been warning me about this whole thing...if so, I didn’t see it. But when the plans you and I have made fall through we need to remember that God knows our heart’s desire and the disappointment we feel. So, when that happens, that’s when we trust God. That is an active and purposeful thing to do. We tell him the disappointment or discouragement we feel and then we affirm that we are going to trust that he was still working even in the things that didn’t work out. God promises that he has a wonderful future for you and for me. His plans are for good...and not for disaster. And his plans are to give you a future and to give you hope. So, if you are disappointed or discouraged about plans that have failed or have taken forever to become reality, take a deep breath and let God know that you are trusting him for this and for all that he has for you. Affirm your faith in him and your love for him. And affirm your willingness to continue to look to the future...and maybe experience something even better.
Here’s our Bible verse for today...
Proverbs 19:21 NLT You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.
Here’s our Bible verse for today...
Proverbs 19:21 NLT You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.