Last week, I sat in a meeting where a project I was involved in was presented. Unlike an earlier presentation, this meeting did not go well and almost every part of the plan was picked apart, as if someone was in a particularly bad mood.
My teammate and I left the meeting confused at the reaction
and frustrated with the thought of starting over, but decided to meet the next
morning to regroup.
As I drove home, I thought about how my personal plans often
seem like the best route to take, only to encounter one roadblock after
another. Although God doesn’t tell me how each step isn’t going to work, He
does slow me down and close doors where I’m not supposed to go.
It can be just as confusing and frustrating as this meeting
was. The prospect of scrapping my plans and starting over feels tiresome and
discouraging. While I want to get right to the end goal, God’s timing usually
involves waiting.
But waiting doesn’t always mean God has said no. Sometimes,
my way just isn’t what God has in mind. To wait for what He has planned, I
have to slow down and regroup, letting God lead instead of rushing ahead.
The next morning, we looked at what worked, and what needed
to be tweaked. By adding some new details and adjusting the time frame, the
project came together—looking better than it was before.
Isn’t that the way it is with God’s plans? I can choose to push
forward putting what I want into action, but if I pause and spend time in
prayer first, I’ll most likely find that God has a better way in mind.
And with
His way, I’ll have a guide—Someone to travel with.
Certainly, that’s worth slowing down my steps to see what
God has planned.
We
can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.
Proverbs 16:9 NLT
Has there been a time when you slowed down
your plans to regroup, and God showed you a better way?
In Christ,
Photo credit: Stock photo: people
