God's Plans Trump Mine

“A man may have many plans in his heart. But the Lord’s purpose wins out in the end.” (Proverbs 19:21)

Our family has been a enjoying studying selected virtues for the past year. In dedicated time at dinner, bedtimes, and in the car, we have been covered virtues such as discipline, patience, self-control, orderliness, conviction, among several others. While my wife and I strive to provide wisdom to our kids in our studies and discussions, we have to admit that the refreshing, pure, burden-free perspectives and “wisdom” that our kids unabashedly communicate is often some of the most valuable. A dinner discussion last week was one of those times:

We are currently studying hope for the month of April, which we define as “believing something good will come out of something bad”. In a dinner discussion, my “ice breaker” to the family was “tell us something you would like or want to do in the future?” After everyone shared, I was trying to pass along that we should always have hope in our lives, even if we are not troubled, hurt, sick, or sad. My 8-yr old son, Jack, then piped up and said “But Dad, there’s a difference between hope and simply wanting something. When we want something that doesn’t match what God is doing, doesn’t that makes us sad?” I was stopped in my tracks. Maybe Jack should lead our dinner sessions! I responded, “Absolutely right, Jack” and then I remembered and shared the aforementioned Proverb with the family. 

The Challenge: In what ways are your plans as a husband, father, and/or worker interfering or contradicting what God may be doing in your life? Is a lack of hope, joy, courage, or determination tied to this contradiction? What new habits can you activate to steer back in line with God?

Author: Ryan Rimington