When Things Don't Work Out

Many hours, much energy, and lots of anticipation have gone into some of my recent plans.  The hours, energy and anticipation in putting together plans for a “big event” have been important.  Without plans there is no direction and it is easy to get off task.  However, what happens when plans don’t materialize and come to fruition, at least in the way that you thought they would?  One of several things could happen.  You could get mad.  You could get frustrated.  You could sulk and have a “why me” pity party.  You could give up and say, “Forget it.”  Or, you could look for the good that might come out of the changed circumstances.

The Bible tells us that we need to plan.  It says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18).  But when plans don’t materialize we may have received wrong advice (or no advice) or maybe God has something that He wants us to learn.  The writer of Proverbs tells us, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21).   Those times when our plans fail we ought to examine why they failed and then eagerly, try to discipher what God is trying to teach us.