The Best Plans

“We can make our plans,
but the Lord determines our steps.”
Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)

Arise and shine, dear one! God is with you!

I can remember it like it was yesterday. Ten years ago, in December, we took a family vacation to the coast with our 2-year-old son and 6-month-old daughter. We rented a house, sat in the hot tub at night when the kids were in bed, and dreamed together of what life might be like ten years from then. Looking back on those conversations, we got everything wrong in our predictions. Life looks nothing at all like we planned or imagined. (You’re probably laughing right now if you’ve also realized that we can’t predict how life will turn out.)

God sees what we don’t see. He knows far more than we do and while it’s good to make plans, we must surrender them to the Lord. As Proverbs 16:9 tells us, it’s really the Lord that determines our steps. As much as we like to imagine it, we are not the ones in control…He is…and that’s a good thing!

While my life is completely different than I imagined it to be ten years ago, I can also say that I’m glad I didn’t write my own story. I’m thankful for the life I now live, better recognizing that the best life is one that is surrendered to the Creator of it all. As I draw closer to Him, listen to His voice, and follow His lead, I see more clearly that walking the path He sets before me is more fulfilling than anything I could come up with on my own.

Does your life look like you imagined, dear one? Are you living today surrendered to the Lord? Thank God for where He’s brought you and trust Him with the future. Rest in His loving embrace, knowing that He knows what’s ahead and He’s got you in His hands. His plans are the best plans!