Meghan Kazmann, member

Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.  

Reflection:
“It’s not supposed to be this way.”  How many times have I repeated this in my head?  How many times have I meticulously prepared the perfectly hatched plan to witness it ultimately fall apart?  How many times have I felt so confident about God’s will for me just to watch my life turn in a completely different direction? 

Long nights at the library and attending professor office hours just to barely pass freshman biology.  But I was supposed to be a veterinarian!  Why?

Multiple miscarriages and painful fertility treatments to conceive a baby. But I’m ready to start a family now! Why?

Weekend work calls, skipped vacations, and missed family dinners for the colleague sitting next to me to achieve all the success. But I was called to take this leap of faith in my career!  Why?

I’ve always detested that saying, “God has a plan” or “It wasn’t a part of God’s plan.”  It’s always felt like a cop-out or an excuse for things not going my way. But maybe I have been missing the point. Maybe I have been trying to control the outcome of a situation that I actually have no control of at all. Maybe I have been making decisions based on how I want to be perceived by other people. Maybe I am a control freak that wants to impress people!  God has a purpose that will exceed my well-intended goals, strategies, and plans. God is in control. 

I recently heard a sermon that reminded me that it was God’s will that sent Jesus to the cross. It was God’s will that led Jesus to the desert to confront the devil. It was the will of God that sent David to overcome Goliath. Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh. In fact, he boarded a ship sailing the opposite direction, was thrown overboard, swallowed by a giant fish, and probably reached his lowest low. But God’s will was triumphant. Jonah took the long way to Nineveh. And it was God’s will to die a shameful death on a cross in order to save the world from its sins.

God gave us free will to pave our own path but that purpose will eventually prevail. I hope I have chosen God’s course, but I take comfort knowing that the destination is already set.

Prayer:
Dear Sovereign God, I give praise that You are in control. Please guide my mind and my heart so that it leads to fulfilling your divine purpose. Amen.