The Best Laid Plans

The best laid plans always go awray. Isn't that how the saying goes? I had fantastic plans for today...my last day of providing day care to one family, only half of the other family would be with me today, a super fun morning at the splash pad with super fun friends (providing both good adult conversation and lots of exercise for the boys!) with the main purpose of expending the energy trapped in the little boy bodies that surround me so that I could spend the afternoon with my Thursday Girls finishing up our Bible Study on Jesus. My well planned day would end with an evening of chatting over coffee at the local Starbucks (or one of them at least!) with my newly acquired "mentor" in a not so newly acquired friend. Well, I was reminded today that "our thoughts are not God's thoughts, our plans are not His plans".

So I ask myself, "What were God's plans for today then?"

Apparently His plans were NOT that I would go to the splashpad, they were NOT that I would end well with my day care families, nor were they to expend the energy trapped in the little boy bodies that surrounded me. Instead I had a sick little girl lying on my couch, trying to not throw up, while pretending to watch TV and trying not to be annoyed by her little brother and my little Gator as they ran around the house chasing a balloon, or wielding swords, or screaming like banshees, or being cars or trucks or trains or whatever else suited their fancy. This sick little girl meant that I had to stay home until I could reach her mother who then had her grandparents come and pick her up, take her home and put her to bed. I kept asking God, "Why is this happening?" I wasn't really mad...disappointed maybe, but mad, no. I knew that obviously there was a reason for all of this...or reasons, whatever the case may be. And I may never know those reasons, but what I do know is this: I had prayed so diligently over the last few weeks that I would be Christ to this group of children God has me look after. I wanted our house to be a safe, welcoming and comfortable place for them. I wanted them to sense God in our house. I wanted to see them as Christ sees them and love them as Christ loves them...to the best of my human ability, that is!

And what I know is that God answered my prayer. He held up a mirror to me that reflected back to me who I really am...not just who I see, but who He sees. He affirmed today that our house is safe, that these kids trust me, and that they probably even LIKE me! :) See, as the day wore on, I had little chats with this sick little girl and as it turns out, I don't think she was really sick at all. She told me that she had heard that if you have 3 worries, they can make you sick. Jumping quickly on this observation, I asked her what her 3 worries were that were making her sick. One was a bad dream, one was something bad that she heard that happened somewhere that she didn't know, and the other was a bad thing that she feared happening to herself. She detailed these to me (which I will not do here), and my heart broke for her. She didn't have the flu...she had scared herself into a tummy ache. Oh God, protect this little heart!!

My mentor asked me tonight what this tells me about God. The fact that this little girl shared these deep fears with me...what does that tell me about what God thinks of me? I realized in trying to answer that question that God trusts me, and that He entrusted these young lives into my care SO THAT THEY COULD SEE HIM. He told me tonight that I had been faithful to the task. I am not sorry to see my day care days slipping behind me, but I am very thankful that I allowed Him to change my attitude so that I could love these kids and be Christ to them. There is a great freedom in knowing you have been faithful...not a prideful or pious emotion, but a contentment and peace that seals the deal. It is good, really good.

Another day, another blessing. I saw God all over today...He plastered my day with bits of Himself. It wasn't any one, huge thing, but rather many little things. I can remember Beth Moore saying that even "our life's detours are the providence of God." The detours that can send us for a loop are really already planned by God. We just have to trust Him.

My day was full of detours, but thankfully, the road was already planned by my God. And thankfully too, in the midst of all the other detours I was able to finish off with my Thursday Girls (I love them!!) with some really great discoveries and reminders of Jesus as King of our lives. And I found out that I am going to be an Auntie again!!! Yay!! I am so excited! And I had a lovely coffee at Starbucks while talking about life and God and other such mysteries.

It is good, it is all good. Tonight I am thankful for the strength to remain faithful, even on the detours that place me on the path of righteousness of His Name's sake.