If you’ve followed this blog for a little while, you will notice that one area of my heart I constantly surrender to the Lord is my tendency to try to control circumstances by planning. I LOVE my planner and find so much joy in writing out what I will do for the week, month, and the year. But for planners like me (and possibly you), we tend to get stuck in a rut when plans change. And they change daily. I am constantly filling my planner with larger dreams than time can handle. At the core of this tendency is a desire to want to do it all, do it all well, and do it all fast.
The problem is, we are human. We are finite, weak, tired creatures. And we need a Savior. We are created by a God who does not sleep, is infinite, and never gets tired. Not only that, but He created us with a limit. In His perfect mind, He knew that we would want to be like Him. In the very beginning in the Garden, we can already see this tendency creep into the hearts of Adam and Eve and set the pattern for us today. We want to be like God and we want to be in control. The beautiful dilemma of this situation is that we can never be in control and never truly plan our days, but we can know the One who can.

Each day, I have to take my plans, my controlling heart, and my big dreams and lay them at the feet of Jesus. When I start working on a project and don’t get as far on it as I want, I have to deliberately step down from the tiny throne I’ve made for myself that day and give it back to God. Today, I have already done that with a new project. It just isn’t coming to me. The idea is there, but God hasn’t given the go ahead to start. So, today, I am taking God’s “no” to this project as a “yes” to another that is better for this day.

What if we chose to look at the “no’s” and “not yet’s” as God sweet mercy and provision, as His guidance, and His involvement in our lives? The no is a an avenue to something greater. Will you join me, on this Thursday, October 23rd, and lay down your planner into the lap of Christ? He formed the universe, holds it all together, and knows the number of hairs on your head. How much more will He know what’s important for you to do today?

seeking a changeable heart and planner,

Gretchen