What’s the Plan?

My sweet 6 year old daughter is a planner. Most mornings she walks sleepily downstairs and the first thing out of her mouth is “what are we doing today mama?”  My broad answers never seem to suffice.  She always wants more details. And usually my plans are not exciting enough for her. She doesn’t yet comprehend that grocery shopping, albeit boring, is necessary if she wants to eat her mac n’ cheese later on!

 My Audrey wants to wake up each morning to a new day full of excitement and fun. And she wants to be on the planning committee for this; she wants to orchestrate it.  She gets mad at me when I won’t tell her every detail  of our daily plan. She doesn’t like it when I tell her that she doesn’t need to know sometimes. I’m the mommy, I say. I know what I’m doing. You can trust me sweet girl, I say.

Once again, I see myself in my daughter. I see the mirror of my interactions with God. I am just like her…daily asking “what’s the plan here?” I get frustrated when He won’t tell me. I want to know details, and I DEFINITELY want to be on the planning committee. In fact, I usually think I should just be in charge of the plan!

It’s a new year. A new beginning. And as we look at our coming year, we all want to know the plan. We hope and dream that it will be full of good things, pain-free things, exciting fun things.

Recently, I’ve been reminded by God that He has a plan, that He knows what He’s doing, and I need to trust Him.   The Word promises us that He’s always working in us, through us, for us…and that it is for our good. He has our best in mind. I’ve been refinishing a lot of furniture for my business lately. As I spend time in my garage, repairing old gouges, painting multiple coats of a carefully chosen color, sanding with just the right pressure to achieve a butter smooth finish, then waxing and buffing, I’m struck with how similar the process is to what God does with you and me. He’s refinishing us…making us into the image of Christ. There are times when He fills our broken places to remove gouges that life has brought to our hearts. There is sanding that must be done, with just the right pressure.  Each piece I refinish is different, and requires a different vision, but the purpose is the same; to take something of value and restore its beauty. Restore its usability. Restore its purpose. I see value in it before the work is started because I am the artist. The piece doesn’t declare its value, I do. And I have a plan to bring that value to the surface for others to see.

Our faithful Father in heaven has such a plan for your life in much the same way. You do not declare your value, He does. And He has a plan to bring forth that value; that Christ-likeness for others to see.

I love this promise for us from Isaiah 43:19;

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

This is such a hope-filled promise, one that we can grab hold of. He’s doing a new thing in all of our hearts.  He’s not leaving us where we ended last year, He’s not doing the same old things. It’s a new thing. This year, He has a plan for you. And it’s not just about where you will live but who lives in you. It has less to do with where you work than who works through you. His plan includes your external joy and also the joy He wants to place in you.

This new thing that He is doing, I want to perceive it. I want to be expectant of it, hopeful, patient. I want to trust Him with the plans for my life.

And I want to stop asking ‘6-year-old’ questions, and instead put my hand in His, look up at Him and trust.

He is doing something new in you, my friend, as well.  Be aware of it and be on the lookout for it.  Expect big things from our Almighty. How will you trust our  faithful God today, and in the coming year?  

 -Kallie