The Holt Rowland Foundation blog is back! I never really intended to take a break; that was never my plan. You know how it is. You make a plan and you like to follow it, right? I like plans. Plans are thought out and structured and organized and devised for a reason. Right? Who doesn’t like a really good plan? You know I like plans; I’m a teacher for heaven’s sake!

As much as I like a good plan sometimes even perfect plans fall apart. I never planned to take such a long break from blogging. It just so happened that my plans for the past three weeks have been altered in some way out of my control, without my permission. My family and I just moved into a new house, and our new Internet connection didn’t follow the plan that I had. I thought we would be online within a few days after moving in, but I just couldn’t get the World Wide Web to cooperate and follow “my” plan. Despite my best efforts, the plan fell apart and a few days turned into weeks before we were connected.

Then, just when I felt like I was beginning to get my plan back in order, I found out last Thursday that my sweet Aunt Martha had passed away and we needed to go out-of-town for her funeral in Alabama. It was a sad occasion that I never planned. Something totally out of my control and not in “my” plan at all. Once again, despite my best efforts, the plan was changed and without my permission.

For months now there has been a Bible verse that has stayed on my mind. Proverbs 16:9, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” I think about this verse when I listen to people talk about their plans for the day, the upcoming weekend, or the future. A man or woman makes his or her own plans. Each person thinking that he or she knows what is best or right.  Sometimes we make plans for others and try to convince people that we even know what is best for them. It’s like plans give us some kind of control over circumstances and situations. Some plans are good, and some plans are evil. We can plan all we want to without worry except for that little three-letter word located in the middle of that verse…. BUT. We can make all the plans we want to. We can justify and wish and scheme and even bargain, BUT the Lord will determine our steps. HE will decide if our plan will come to fruition. HE will allow it or alter it, and HE does it with or without our permission.

It is kind of strange to think that God even allows evil plans to succeed but he does; nothing sneaks by him. Proverbs 16:2 says, “All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but the motives are weighed by the Lord.” Even when we don’t want to admit the selfishness of our own plans, God knows our motives. The real reason “why” we made our plans in the first place. He knows the real reason why we want them to succeed no matter what we tell ourselves or others. No matter how we justify things, God knows.

Of course since God is the one who “determines our steps,” he has the right to change our plans. When God changes a plan it always makes the end result better. I have to believe this. God changed my plans. Not puny plans about my computer or my weekend, God changed the plans for “my ” family. You see “my” family is just as important to me as “your” family is to you. My plans were what I thought was best. I envisioned seeing my oldest son grow up. I wanted to see him graduate from high school and college. I wanted to see him get married and be a father. I wanted to witness him growing up and serving the Lord during his long life on earth. I told the Lord the plans I had for my son many, many times. They were good plans with very good motives, BUT the Lord still changed my plans. He totally changed them, and he did it without my permission.

So, now I have a choice. I can continue to think that “my” plan was the best plan and be bitter and angry that it got changed, OR I can choose to believe that God determined that his plan was better than mine. I choose to believe that He loved my family enough to follow the best plan for us despite the fact that we did not agree to it. I know we can’t see how it could be best for us on this side of heaven, but I have to trust that God’s plan for Holt Rowland was better than his mama’s plan for him. It is hard to imagine anybody loving you more than your mama but God really does. I know how much I love Holt, but I believe that God loves him even more.

Understand this, God loves you even when he changes your plan and you don’t understand why. He loves you even when you think his plan is wrong and crazy. He loves you even when you tell him how mad you are that your plan got changed. He loves you more than your mama does….and that is a lot!

Proverbs 16:3, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”  Plan to trust Him forever no matter what happens to your plans. That is honestly the best plan of all.