Makin' Plans...

I've always been a planner. Always. Even when I was a lot younger. I loved planning birthday parties for myself and surprise parties for loved ones. I loved helping planning our family vacations, some big trip (like going to Silver Dollar City), or even trips to go see family.

In the past few years, I've planned for a lot of things: my last few years of high school, graduation, where I would go to college, what I would be majoring in, exactly how long it will take me to graduate, and when certain classes would be taken. Yeah, big kid stuff.

I knew I wanted to major in music, and I didn't have too much trouble in my college decision... But when I stepped foot onto the JBU campus, I realized that I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I loved music, and I COULD teach at my house for the rest of my life. I just don't know if that's what I want to do for the rest of my life. Besides that, I don't know what I would do for a job until I got married (if I ever do, and I sure hope God blesses me with a husband someday!)

I was at a friend's house last night, and there were basically two groups of people: the high school people and the college people. I swung back and forth between the two groups because I'm friends with everybody and I hate, absolutely HATE when people split up; I'm the type of person where everything has to be fair, equal, and unified. Anywho, it was interesting talking to everyone in the "college" group... Some of us had HUGE plans for after college, like going to grad school and then getting their master's, and some of us didn't have a clue what we were going to do afterwards. I was in the latter group of people... As the others were discussing their plans, I felt a sense of dread and a slight panic come over me: what WAS I going to do after college?! All these people have big plans for their lives... I need to get crackin'! Needless to say, even though it was great conversation, I went home feeling bad about myself because I felt like a failure in planning out my future.

This morning I went to the college sunday school, called the Student Section, before the big worship service. We have been going through James in the past month or so, and today's passage that was taught/discussed was James 4:13-17, which says (in the ESV):

"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."

I read that passage and immediately felt peace. I quickly realized that it was okay that I didn't have a 5-year plan for my life after college, and that I didn't have any huge goals/plans for my life. Obviously, it's okay to make plans and have hopes and dreams. However, we need to realize that those hopes and dreams may not be what God has planned for our lives, and we need to give those up to Him, to surrender them and rest in the knowledge that even though we may not realize it at the time, God works all things together for the good of those who love him, for those who are the called, according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). We must hang on to our plans loosely and instead cling to God and His promises tightly.

Here are some application questions that were given to me this morning in church: Are your plans promoting God's glory or your own? Are you seeking others' approval in regards to your plans, or are you seeking God's approval? And are you willing to give up your ambitions/dreams to trade them for God's?

We must take on humility and come before God with our plans.

To close, as I was writing this post, this old hymn popped into my head. This is my prayer:

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.