When things don't go as planned

It seemed like the perfect day for a wedding.  Moderately sunny.  Perfect temperature.  Beautiful sprawling ranch with white tables, chairs and exquisite centerpieces set up picture perfect near a lake. A lovely day in Magnolia, Texas. Everything was planned to a tea.  As the clock ticked closer to 6 p.m., things changed quickly.  Clouds in the sky.  Raindrops.  Thunder in the distance.  As we ran through huge puddles to get to the party barn, my heart sank for the bride.  Wedding guests were huddled closely together under the barn, with rain gusting in from the sides.  All at once, the power went out.  Finally, the ceremony got underway.  Lightning and thunder bolts served as a background orchestra throughout the ceremony.  The memories of this wedding just kept coming.  Our Rav4 seemingly enjoyed the lovely ranch grounds and wanted to hang out just a bit longer in the mud.  It took four big men to push us out.  Then, a long drive home during a stormy night in Texas.  Sometimes, even with the best plans, things happen out of our control.

As much as we love to have things to go as planned, sometimes they don’t.  We prepare well.  We train well.  We do everything we can to ensure that everything will go off without a hitch.  And it doesn’t.  How we respond when bad things happen shows a lot about our character. 

We want to control outcomes. We don’t like it when we can’t. As human beings, (and adults) we like when things go our way, with no hassles, no problems and certainly no catastrophes.  But, life doesn’t always work like that.  And how we handle our “uncontrollable moments” shows a lot about our character. 

God is in control.  Always.  We don’t always get God’s ways.  Why?  We’re not God.  As we look through the Bible, there are countless stories of life that didn’t happen as planned.  But God was still God.  God was still trustworthy.  God was still sovereign.  As long as we live on this earth, we will face countless circumstances out of our control.  As we trust God in the midst of those circumstances, He will see us through.  He will give us a different perspective. He will build our character in the process.  An eternal perspective.

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” A. W. Tozer

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.  As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55:8-9

Nancy Abbott serves as Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.