I’m kind of a planner. I like knowing what is going to happen, what we are going to do, and where we will be staying while we do it. Actually, I don’t just like knowing all of that… I like deciding all of that.
A few months ago my husband and I were talking about whether or not we’d be able to take a family vacation this year. We decided that we could make time for it and we began making plans for a trip in September. We love going to Colorado and we thought it would be wonderful to stay in Estes Park and hike in the Rockies.
Can you see where this is going? I promise there will be pictures later in this post… bear with me.
Two days before we were supposed to leave, we heard about massive flooding that was happening on the Front Range. People began telling us that we’d better change our plans because we’d never make it to Estes Park. I am ashamed to say that I was SO upset. How selfish is that? Thousands of people were being evacuated and their communities were devastated and I was mad because I couldn’t go on vacation.
We ended up making a last-minute Plan B to go to Custer State Park in South Dakota instead. I wondered, “Lord, what are you teaching me in all of this? I’ve been looking forward to this trip for so long!” In my devotions the next day, I found His answer.
You will not find My peace by engaging in excessive planning… Just when you think you have prepared for all the possibilities, something unexpected pops up and throws things into confusion… Turn from the path of planning to the path of Peace.
September 17 of ‘Jesus Calling‘
I knew that this is what my Heavenly Father was teaching me. My mind cannot plan for all of the ‘what ifs’. I was not created to be in control of my future.
In his heart, a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
Proverbs 16:9
So on this trip, I challenged myself to just be. I didn’t plan our entire schedule on the first night of the trip. I didn’t inform my husband of what our plans were… I stayed quiet so he could decide what we would do as a family.
And you know what? It was awesome.
We had a wonderful time. The Black Hills are beautiful. We loved roaming around the park and exploring with Isaiah. I relished the opportunity to play with my camera instead of working with it.
Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.
Psalm 37:5
To be continued…