Plan B

Often my Plan A falls through and I have to go with Plan B. Before graduation, my ‘humble’ Plan A was first to pastor a 2000-member church and then work my way up from there. I landed in Plan B: a country church with 38 members.

It was the best thing that could have happened, giving my wife and me the chance to focus on establishing our marriage. When I retired, my Plan A was to hike through the forests of southern Oregon. Then I started experiencing foot problems. Plan B became rewarding pastoral work and representing abused children in court.

Paul’s Plan A was to plant churches in Spain. He landed in prison. His Plan B: he wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon, by which millions have been blessed. Ruth’s Plan A was to live quietly in Moab with her foreign husband. When her husband died, a new plan emerged and she moved to Israel, becoming an ancestor of Jesus. Her faith and commitment became an inspiration to millions.

We all make plans and suffer disappointment when those plans don’t come to fruition. I’ve learned that however grand our goals, God might have deeper spiritual opportunities in store for us that can turn our disappointment into joy.

Prayer: Guardian of our lives, in the midst of frustration, help us to believe that you have greater plans for us than we even know to dream.