Plan B

All my life has pretty well much gone according to plan.  I did well in school, had my choice of University with scholarship, met Nathanaël young, got married, have had no troubling conceiving...  When everything in your life goes according to plan it is very easy to believe in the illusion that you are in control.

This summer I read Pete Wilson's book Plan B (a book I had initially picked up to help me minister to others, because my life has been so plan A)...

And here we are Sept 4th in a Plan B situation.  Our plan B situation is not difficult or devastating like the loss of a family member, unemployment or illness, but this plan B still serves to remind us that there are a lot of things in life that we don't control.

Our house is still for sale (has been for just over 3 months), we haven't been able to purchase our tickets to head overseas yet because we need to wait for the house to be sold.  We thought we'd be packed and ready to go by now, but, we're still here.

Here's what Pete Wilson says about control in our lives:

`You know why these things frustrate and anger us? They're reminders that control is an illusion- and we don't like being reminded of that.  We want to control the outcomes in our lives.  We want to win if at all possible.  We want to be right.  We want it done our way.  This powerful desire leaks into our marriages, our jobs, our parenting.

And the danger for most of us is that not only are we tempted to think we hold the strings to our life; we really think we get to write the script...`(p.23)

So what do you do when life isn't going according to plan.  We trust God.  Here are some things God says about our lives:

Jeremiah 29:11-13
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 

       Phillipians 4:6 

       Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and          petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

So last night Nathanaël and I prayed together with open hands a simple prayer.  Lord this is your house and our lives are yours.  We trust you.  We trust your plans for our lives.