Plot Twist: God's Plan Was Different
Plot Twist: God's Plan Was Different
Learning to loosen our grip on the plans we've made and trust the One who knows where He's taking us.
I had a plan for this year. A really good plan, actually. I had thought it through, mapped it out, and could practically see exactly how it was all going to unfold. I knew where I was headed, what the next steps looked like, and how everything was supposed to fit together.
And then God did what God seems to do best: He reminded me that I am not the one in charge of the itinerary.
You would think by now I'd be used to this. After all, this isn't my first experience with God taking my carefully constructed plans, giving them a little shake, and saying, "That's cute. Here's what we're actually going to do."
My plan was to complete my teaching capstone in kindergarten. It felt like the perfect full-circle moment. My elementary school career started in kindergarten, and I thought it would be fitting to finish this particular chapter right where it all began.
Except... plot twist. I'll be doing my capstone in SIXTH GRADE.
Sixth grade. The land of rapidly growing humans, big personalities, middle-school-adjacent attitudes, and students who are probably already taller than me. (Okay, maybe not taller than me, but you get the idea.) If I'm being honest, sixth graders have always intimidated me just a little. Kindergarteners have crayons and picture books. Sixth graders have opinions. Strong ones.
Needless to say, this was not the plan I had envisioned.
But isn't that how it goes sometimes? We make our plans, get comfortable with our expectations, and start believing we have a pretty good handle on how things should unfold. Then life throws us a curveball, a change of direction, or an opportunity we never would have chosen for ourselves.
And suddenly we're left wondering, "God, are we sure about this?"
Proverbs 16:9 says, "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps."
I love this verse because it doesn't tell us not to make plans. Planning is good. Having goals, dreams, and direction is good. But it reminds us that our plans were never meant to take the place of trusting God.
Sometimes we get so attached to how we think something should happen that we miss what God might be doing through a completely different path. We focus so much on the destination we've chosen that we forget to pay attention to the One leading us there.
And here's the hard part: trusting God's plan is easy to talk about when His plan looks a lot like ours. It's considerably harder when it doesn't.
It's hard when the door closes. It's hard when the timeline changes. It's hard when something we were excited about doesn't happen the way we imagined. Sometimes God's direction doesn't feel like an exciting new opportunity. Sometimes it just feels inconvenient, uncomfortable, or downright terrifying (again, SIXTH GRADE).
But what if the detour isn't a detour at all?
What if the opportunity we didn't ask for is exactly where God intends to grow us? What if the change we resisted is where we discover a new purpose, develop a new strength, or learn to depend on Him in a way we never would have otherwise?
Isaiah 55:8 reminds us that God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are higher than ours. He sees what we cannot. He knows what we don't know. And He can see the bigger picture when we're still trying to figure out the next step.
I'm still wrapping my brain around this new plan. I'm still a little nervous about sixth grade. And I'm probably still going to make a few plans of my own along the way. But I'm learning that I don't have to understand every turn in the road to trust the One leading me.
Maybe that's where some of us need to land this week.
Maybe you've been holding tightly to a plan that isn't unfolding the way you expected. Maybe you're waiting for an answer, navigating an unexpected change, or wondering why God seems to be taking you in a completely different direction.
Here's your reminder: You can make plans without making them your master. You can have a vision without demanding that God follow your blueprint. And you can be uncertain about what's next while still being completely confident in the One leading you.
So make the plans. Dream the dreams. Set the goals. But hold them with open hands.
Because sometimes God's best work happens in the moments when our own plans fall apart. And sometimes the very thing we were convinced we didn't want is the place where He has been preparing us all along.
As for me? I'm trading my kindergarten lesson plans for sixth-grade expectations and trusting that God knows what He's doing.
He hasn't steered me wrong yet. And I'm pretty sure He can handle sixth grade, too.
After all, God's plan doesn't need my approval to be better than mine. It just needs my trust.
Learning to loosen our grip on the plans we've made and trust the One who knows where He's taking us.
I had a plan for this year. A really good plan, actually. I had thought it through, mapped it out, and could practically see exactly how it was all going to unfold. I knew where I was headed, what the next steps looked like, and how everything was supposed to fit together.
And then God did what God seems to do best: He reminded me that I am not the one in charge of the itinerary.
You would think by now I'd be used to this. After all, this isn't my first experience with God taking my carefully constructed plans, giving them a little shake, and saying, "That's cute. Here's what we're actually going to do."
My plan was to complete my teaching capstone in kindergarten. It felt like the perfect full-circle moment. My elementary school career started in kindergarten, and I thought it would be fitting to finish this particular chapter right where it all began.
Except... plot twist. I'll be doing my capstone in SIXTH GRADE.
Sixth grade. The land of rapidly growing humans, big personalities, middle-school-adjacent attitudes, and students who are probably already taller than me. (Okay, maybe not taller than me, but you get the idea.) If I'm being honest, sixth graders have always intimidated me just a little. Kindergarteners have crayons and picture books. Sixth graders have opinions. Strong ones.
Needless to say, this was not the plan I had envisioned.
But isn't that how it goes sometimes? We make our plans, get comfortable with our expectations, and start believing we have a pretty good handle on how things should unfold. Then life throws us a curveball, a change of direction, or an opportunity we never would have chosen for ourselves.
And suddenly we're left wondering, "God, are we sure about this?"
Proverbs 16:9 says, "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps."
I love this verse because it doesn't tell us not to make plans. Planning is good. Having goals, dreams, and direction is good. But it reminds us that our plans were never meant to take the place of trusting God.
Sometimes we get so attached to how we think something should happen that we miss what God might be doing through a completely different path. We focus so much on the destination we've chosen that we forget to pay attention to the One leading us there.
And here's the hard part: trusting God's plan is easy to talk about when His plan looks a lot like ours. It's considerably harder when it doesn't.
It's hard when the door closes. It's hard when the timeline changes. It's hard when something we were excited about doesn't happen the way we imagined. Sometimes God's direction doesn't feel like an exciting new opportunity. Sometimes it just feels inconvenient, uncomfortable, or downright terrifying (again, SIXTH GRADE).
But what if the detour isn't a detour at all?
What if the opportunity we didn't ask for is exactly where God intends to grow us? What if the change we resisted is where we discover a new purpose, develop a new strength, or learn to depend on Him in a way we never would have otherwise?
Isaiah 55:8 reminds us that God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are higher than ours. He sees what we cannot. He knows what we don't know. And He can see the bigger picture when we're still trying to figure out the next step.
I'm still wrapping my brain around this new plan. I'm still a little nervous about sixth grade. And I'm probably still going to make a few plans of my own along the way. But I'm learning that I don't have to understand every turn in the road to trust the One leading me.
Maybe that's where some of us need to land this week.
Maybe you've been holding tightly to a plan that isn't unfolding the way you expected. Maybe you're waiting for an answer, navigating an unexpected change, or wondering why God seems to be taking you in a completely different direction.
Here's your reminder: You can make plans without making them your master. You can have a vision without demanding that God follow your blueprint. And you can be uncertain about what's next while still being completely confident in the One leading you.
So make the plans. Dream the dreams. Set the goals. But hold them with open hands.
Because sometimes God's best work happens in the moments when our own plans fall apart. And sometimes the very thing we were convinced we didn't want is the place where He has been preparing us all along.
As for me? I'm trading my kindergarten lesson plans for sixth-grade expectations and trusting that God knows what He's doing.
He hasn't steered me wrong yet. And I'm pretty sure He can handle sixth grade, too.
After all, God's plan doesn't need my approval to be better than mine. It just needs my trust.
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