Plans

~ DeborahMarie

postit scrabble to do todo

Plans, we all make them.  Today, I am planning to do the laundry, clean the house, go to the grocery store, have lunch with my sister, walk CallieMarie, take dinner to a friend who just got out of the hospital, finish this blog………and the list goes on and on!  These are my plans, but there is no guarantee that I will get any of it done today!

A few weeks ago, my brother-in-law (BIL), who lives in Kansas, but whose mother lives in my town, came to help his mom get ready for winter.  His plans were sorely interrupted when he came in from trimming trees and had a heart attack.  He was alone at his mom’s house when it happened.  He called 911 and then my sister in Kansas to let her know what was happening.  My sister, in turn, called me.  I had literally walked in the door when she called to tell me that her husband was on his way to the hospital.  As you can guess, my plans for that evening came to a screeching halt as I jumped in my Jeep and headed to the hospital.

When I walked into the ER, my BIL said, “Deb, you have full authority over everything until your sister gets here.”  What? Total power over everything?  What does that even mean?  I knew what I was thinking, but I wasn’t sure what he was saying, so when the nurses left, I started asking the hard questions, and he followed up with, “Yes, everything.”

I called my sister, and I asked her some hard questions, too.  At a time when I wanted to bring her comfort, I had to make sure she and her husband were on the same page.  Thankfully, they were.

His condition was not good, and he was flown to the Heart Hospital in OKC, where he received quadruple by-pass surgery.  The surgery itself was not touch-and-go, but he did develop complications and experienced setbacks.  Under normal circumstances, he would have gone home in five days, but in his case, he spent 16 days in the hospital.  I am happy and relieved to say that he is home now and doing good.  He has a ways to go, but he’s getting there.

During those 16 days, I wasn’t focused on my plans.  In fact, a lot of things that I had planned to do didn’t get done because “family comes first”!

It’s not wrong to make plans. Still, at the top of our to-do-list or our plan list, we should add, “Rely on God to determine our steps,” so when something as big as a heart attack takes place, or something trivial interrupts our plans, we acknowledge God is taking us in a different direction.

The Bible says, “We make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps,” Proverbs 16:9, “We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answers,” Proverbs 16:1.  I love both verses, but my favorite is “The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?” Proverbs 20:24.  

Well, I finished this blog, so that’s one thing off of my list and for the record, I am adding to the top of my list, “Rely on God today to determine my steps!”

God bless you,

Deb

 

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Published by DeborahMarie

I'm a child of Jehovah God, a wife, and mother. My inspiration to write comes from the Word of God, and the goal of my writing is to influence people to follow after Jesus Christ. If just one person comes to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, I will have accomplished what I set out to do. The name of my blog comes from knowing that God has been faithful to me, and I want to testify to His faithfulness! Lamentations 3:22-23 "The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning." ~Blessings!

31 thoughts on “Plans”

    1. I find that to be true! It takes the burden off of ourselves and puts our focus on Christ. He loves and is working HIS best for us ALL the time, not just when we think things are going well! He says, ”Trust Me.”

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Thankful to hear your brother in laws recovery is coming along. I pray the Lord will continue to bring healing to him. You’re right we never know what tomorrow or even the rest of the current day will bring. We literally have to entrust every moment to the Lord.

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  5. We have a verse on our business logo that I’m reminded of here: “Commit to the Lord all that you do and He will establish your plans.” Proverbs 15:3. I can honestly stress a bit when circumstances change my plans, but it helps to know He has it all in His most capable hands. Prayers for your brother-in-law and all of you at this time.

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  6. I’m a to-do list maker, and I love your idea of what should be at the top of my list. I also love those verses you shared. I’m going to write “RELY ON GOD” at the top of my list, and I’ll think of you each time I see it. 🙂

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  7. Prayers for your brother in law! I’m glad he’s home now. I read something recently that said “If you want to make God laugh, make plans.” It’s funny, but true! There’s so many times that I’ve made plans but God had other plans for me instead.

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  10. I love this post! I recently had this experience myself when I got a phone call from my sister saying, “Dad is starting dialysis tomorrow.” I left right then and traveled 8 hours to get to where Dad lives. I’ve been here all month. Your post was very timely and appreciated. God bless you, DeborahMarie! PS: Dad is doing well and I expect I will be able to return home after Thanksgiving.

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    1. I’m glad to hear your dad is doing well! It’s amazing how fast life can change when we least expect it. I hope you get to be home for Thanksgiving! Thank you for reading and leaving a comment.

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  12. Such graceful share ma’am. Truly we have plans. Oh my, this year I have learned to place His plans before me. It came with struggle and “why” at first but glad I am letting Him. 😀

    May God’s perfect healing be for your brother in law in Jesus name.

    And yeah, nice to know you completed part of the “plan” 😁

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  13. Man! What an awakening and powerful reminder Ms. Deb!
    So glad BIL is on the road to recovery and that you were available to serve and stand proxy for your sister. We definitely have to ensure that though we have plans, we must stay pliable in our Daddy’s hands or else we will end up spinning our tails and becoming frustrated with the interruptions.

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