Best Laid Plans Sometimes Go Awry

It hasn't been easy to stay sequestered at the guest house on my kids’ property on my “God” quest this month. After all, I have two young grandsons, who I adore and they adore me, and when Nana’s around, it’s usually play-time! They inhabit these grounds, so I’ve had to be very resolute in staying hidden. They’ve coped pretty well with my “disconnect” from their world. Their Mom and Dad have been great in reinforcing my solitude.

The guest house has been stocked with plenty of food and drink to keep me nestled in, with very few needs or wants. Well, except for this one thing. My kids have the most amazing ice making machine on their outdoor patio (you know that “Sonic” crunchy ice).

Yesterday, knowing Bryson would be at his golf lesson, and Mama was probably running errands, I snuck over to the main house for a refill. Front door was open and it was dark and quiet, so I knew the coast was clear. That’s when I made my way to the door through the kitchen to the patio. I heard a little something and looked down and there was Bryson in the kitchen chair playing a game on his iPod. He didn’t see me so I started quietly backing out of the room when Bentley (their dog) saw me and started to bark. Bryson turned around and said “Hi Nana. What are you doing here?“
Me: “I was sneeking in to get ice. I thought you were at your golf lesson!”
Bryson: “Nana, haven’t you been noticing the rain? We could swim on the course, but not golf.” I hadn’t noticed, obviously. “Nana, did you hear about me losing 5 teeth, yesterday?” I had heard – baby teeth that weren’t giving way to the big boys needing to come through.
Me: “Did the tooth fairy come to see you?”
Bryson: “Yes.”
Me: “How much?”
Bryson: $100.
Me: “Well that’s what happens when five come out at the same time! I gotta’ go back to my chapel in the woods! I sure love you!”

Best laid plans sometimes go awry! My little scheme wasn’t earth-shaking when it went awry, but how many times do we make a plan, chart a course, set goals, cast vision, and even set out on a long-awaited dream-come-true adventure and something still goes wrong?

Most of those times, there are logical reasons beyond our control that keep us from our plans. Other times, it’s simply a matter of readjusting a schedule, and the plan can proceed. Quite frankly, changing the course or our mind is not a bad thing. Having to reconfigure doesn’t make us a flip-flopper. In fact, accepting that this change is for our good and God could be planning an even better outcome than what we had planned shows we' re flexible.

My husband and I had saved and planned for a 7-day cruise in the Southern Caribbean. We had been working hard and this would be a much-needed get away. We had even minimized our expenses by driving down to Galveston instead of flying there. The cruise started out magnificently, but on the 2nd night, after the Broadway Show, the ship came to a halt in the middle of the ocean. The lights flickered off and on and soon inexperienced cruisers were running for their life vests. This wasn’t our first cruise so we were confident that we would soon be on our way and we became encouragers to those very anxious travelers. As it turned out, the engine had caught on fire and there was no option but for the ship to be towed into the nearest port which was 150 miles from us. It was 24+ hours of trepidation for folks, discomfort (no-running water, so you can only imagine the rest room facilities), low on food – the next port was where they would be restocking), and it was too warm to stay in our cabins, so most all of the 1500+ cruisers were on the outer decks. Such complaining we heard, but all my husband and I could think “This is going to work out for our good!” And, sure enough – it did. Not only were we refunded this cruise in its entirety, but we were given a free 10 days cruise of our choice, for a future date, as well as airline tickets.

Oftentimes, best laid plans really weren’t the best laid plans at all, because if we truly believe that our steps are ordered of the Lord (Psalm 37:23) and that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purposes (Romans 8:28), no matter whether OUR plans work out or not, God’s ways are so much higher than our ways. Why don’t we just learn to do what the old Greyhound bus commercial said, "Go Greyhound, and leave the driving to us.....OR "Go God, and leave the outcome to Him!"

What's on Your Bucket List?

Finish High School - Check
Get a good job -- Check (Nope, college wasn't on the list.)
Get married - Check
Have babies - Check
Lose 10 pounds - Check
Learn to fly an airplane - Check
Go on a cruise - Check (15, in fact)
Take a trip to the Holy Lands -- (still on my list)

Another way to look at "bucket lists", is making a list of goals that we hope to accomplish before "heaven" calls our names. My husband was a relentless, annual goal setter -- not just those he hoped to accomplish before he "went home", but before the year ended. So much so, that he made a Vision Board each year, casting the vision for what we were believing to accomplish in that year. Habakkuk 2:2 says "Write the vision, make it plain so that he who reads it can run with it." While cleaning out my office closet, I found this old Vision Board that Ron not only wrote the vision but he made it plain by clipping out photos of what he was believing for.

Here are some of his Vision 2008 specifics:
Home on a lake -- bought that home in Sapulpa. Check.
TEAM 2008 -- His sister and bro-in-law in business with us. Check. Our family altogether on a family vacation. (Took a cruise) Check
Becoming proficient at fly fishing. Check.
New laptop computer. Check.
Missions trip and teaching pastors in Belize. Check
Working with the Joshua Child Development Center. Check.

But, several things on that Vision Board DIDN'T come about. Sometimes, our best laid plans and goals don't come to pass. But that's when, those of us who trust in God and His best "bucket list" for our lives, defer to "His ways are higher than our ways." (Isaiah 55:9)

Think about Mary, Jesus' Mother, and what her bucket list might have looked like. We know she had a goal to get married to Joseph because they were engaged, and she probably was already getting her beautiful wedding gown made and maybe she was already practicing writing her new name -- Mrs. Joseph -- and she probably dreamed of the day when she would have a baby -- probably thinking about calling him Joseph Junior. But all those dreams still had to make way for God's "bucket list". Mary's greatest accomplishment happened when she put aside her own goals and said "YES" to whatever God's bucket list had on it.

Mary shows us that saying "yes" to God's plan for our lives can be far more rewarding -- and surprising -- than any list we could ever come up with. We hope that we don't have the challenges and hardships that Mary had, but then again, who else could say that "a simple 'yes' made her the Mother of our Creator, our Savior and our Lord?

Let's continue to set goals, cast vision, dream big dreams, live with audacious and unwavering faith......BUT -- let's stay open to God's Master Plan for our lives and be willing to trade in our bucket list for His. The best news is....His list comes with great rewards -- peace, joy, happiness AND life everlasting, as well as GREAT adventures and excitement of having a really awesome relationship with Almighty God.

Happy Honeymoon!

Happy Anniversary and Happy Honeymoon to my precious Ryan and Shawntel!  I'm thanking God for His perfect match made from heaven.  I celebrate them today and the beauty of their beautiful love for each other and all they've accomplished together.  They married on December 14th and went on their first honeymoon on December 26th, and every year since then, they celebrate another "honeymoon" on that date.

On a leadership call last week, Ryan shared that they took a cruise on their first honeymoon trip.  He said that somehow the Captain of the ship found out Shawntel was a former Miss America and invited them to join him and his wife, and three other couples at his dinner table on New Year's Eve. Sitting beside Ryan and Shawntel was a couple who were like love birds.  The captain congratulated them as it was their 50th wedding anniverary.  Ryan, sitting next to the man, asked, "This is our first -- what's your secret?"  The man paused a few seconds, and said, "Honeymoons".  Ryan said, "Honeymoons?"  And the man replied, "On our first honeymoon, we said we're so incredibly in love, we never want this moment to end.  We made the decision we would never have 'anniversaries' --  we would only have honeymoons.   So every year, at this time, we go on a honeymoon and we fall in love all over again.  A lot goes on during the year --  a lot of challenges, financial woes, ups and downs happen, things that come at you that are just a part of life during that year.  But on our honeymoon, every year, we commit to be like we were on our first honeymoon, and we fall in love again -- you know --  to be in love, go on dates, work together, work on the issues, be purposefully in love the year through."

Shawntel and Ryan went back to their  room and committed to have only honeymoons for then on.  So from December 26th to January 2nd, that's what they've been doing -- EVERY YEAR.  Ryan continued...."This year....like every year before now, we're going to fall in love again.  We're going to talk about what we're going to do in 2015 -- set our goals and dreams and plan to make this next year one of the best EVER!

And I say, "Good word for each of us. As 2014 is rapidly coming to an end, while we may have had a bumpy road this year and may have experienced hardship, disappointment, ups AND downs and other challenges, let's put them ALL behind us, and have a honeymoon with ours spouses (if you're blessed to still have one) ourselves and God, and celebrate what 2015 will hold -- yes, there will no doubt be times of challenge, but when we renew our love, faith, determination, zeal, great expectancy and hope.....we will surely make it through to another 'honeymoon' as winners and conquerors."  Happy Honeymoon to you and yours!