First Baptist Church of Herndon

It was never my plan

Linda Soller | Apr 04, 2016

She went through life making plans, sometimes for herself, and sometimes for others. No one would have called her selfish, and yet everyone knew her tendency to plan life on her own terms. It came as no surprise when she chose to go far away to college. Her gravitation to the city to work and rare visits home struck people as just part of the plan. As her parents got older and needed more attention their church and the town folks filled the void left by their only child whose life, according to plan, kept her far away. Eventually a friend, mourning the loss of her last parent, convinced her to travel back home for a visit. When her rental car pulled up in front of the small cottage house on West Elm she sat frozen taking in the sight. The white picket fence was a dusty grey and patched. The two rockers on the front porch sat weathered and still. Her mother’s favorite flower bed was sparse with only a few struggling plants. Stepping inside the front door the house felt dark, cramped, and somehow sad. She missed the lively atmosphere she remembered from her childhood. Her Dad smiled through tears as he hugged her, and her mom came from the kitchen wiping her hands on the same apron she had worn for years. They looked so old. Her heart sank as she realized how much she had missed. “It was never my plan to be away so long,” were the only words that came to her lips. With hugs, love, and forgiveness the small house began to shine with hope.

We plan for ourselves, but in doing so we are also planning for others. As we make plans we are intentionally, or inadvertently, impacting the people around us. Recently I learned a lesson in planning. I knew how I wanted things to go, but it was not how they were going. It was simply a matter of life being different from how I had always planned. What I had planned was selfish, and I learned the hard way it was not even my plan to make.

If we can learn to live more in the moment, to see the bigger picture, to adjust to change, to serve rather than being served perhaps we will live more selflessly. If we can be open to God’s plan rather than insisting on our own, maybe we will be able to avoid saying, “It was never my plan.”

Have a great week!    :o)  Linda