In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:6
The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9
When I started college, I had no clue what degree I was going to pursue. At the end of my first year, I had a GPA that fell below a 2.0 and was in danger of being on academic probation. It was at that time I decided I’d better get serious about college and pick a degree or what was the point of even continuing. I didn’t know what I wanted to be at all. But oddly enough, when I did think of what I could see myself doing, I knew a few things I needed in a career.
First, I wanted a job that offered personal freedom.
Second, I needed a creative outlet.
Lastly, I knew other people would need to be involved because I’m a people person.
Being a teacher was the only job that I could think of that offered those three things so I went with it. But I wasn’t sure if I even liked kids! Which, let’s be honest, is very important if you’re going to be a teacher. So I quit my job at the bank and started working at a daycare to make sure that I liked kids. Lucky for me, I LOVED kids! I mean, really, really loved them.
Working at the daycare solidified in me my decision to be a teacher. So with that I mapped out my college classes to see how long it would take me to graduate, considering I also had to work full time. When I was finished, I had a 6 year plan.
SIX YEARS!!
That may not be as long as a doctor or vet, but let me tell you, it felt like eternity. But none the less, that was my game plan. That was it. After every semester, I would put a big X over that section and look on to the next semester. And even though graduation seemed like some tiny light at the end of a very long tunnel, I knew that if I followed my game plan there would come a day when I would be finished. Sometimes, it felt like a mirage. Was it really ever going to happen? But it did. Without that game plan, I wouldn’t have been certain. I wouldn’t have had the reassurance. I probably would’ve gotten off track. But my 6 year plan kept me focused. I knew where I was headed. I knew it wasn’t all for nothing.
Everyone has to have a game plan.
Every coach has one. Every business has one. Every college student has one. It’s the steps that it’s going to take to achieve the goal you want to make. Without a plan, you are aimless. Going through the motions, privy to which way the wind blows. But life isn’t like college. I can’t always write out a step by step guide that will assure me that all will end the way I’ve prepared it to. So, because of this, Jesus is my game plan. I fall on Him.
When life deals an unexpected blow, I turn to Jesus. When something I haven’t seen coming, but maybe should have, comes out of nowhere, I turn to Jesus. When relationships are painful or hurtful, I cry out to Jesus. When sickness overcomes me or a family member, I pray for healing in the name of Jesus. When I feel fear or anxiety that creeps in out of nowhere, I call to Jesus. When I’m surrounded by a group of people who talk about how awful the world is, and what could happen to us if war breaks out or disease, I offer Jesus to the conversation.
This doesn’t always make sense to others because Jesus isn’t their game plan. But he’s mine.
I don’t worry how I’m going to pay for my kid’s college tuition or how I’m going to accomplish a lot of things because Jesus is my game plan. That doesn’t mean that I’m frivolous or irresponsible. I’m not. I continue to make plans. But I can’t carry around the worry and burden for every little thing that may or may not happen. I lay my worries, fears, dreams, and expectations at God’s feet.
I strive to put Him first in my life and my home, and let Him work on my behalf. That’s my game plan. And since Jesus is the author of that game plan, it can never be wrong. It can never not work out.