The Plan

Everyone knows about the plan.  People ask about the plan.  Sometimes it is simple.  Sometimes it is super busy, but everyone as the a plan.  The plan for their day.

My plan usually looks something like this...
get up before the kids to spend some time alone
feed the kids breakfast
exercise
some sort of morning activity (school, errands, playdates, etc)
lunch
nap/quiet time (the highlight of every mom's day)
prepare dinner

This is the plan that is in my head at the start of the day.  The reality of my day often looks a lot different than this plan.  My quiet time in the morning is often interrupted by one or both kids getting up early.  Exercise is interrupted by mediating fights or just other requirements of the day.  Morning activities are often up in the air due to weather and mood of the kids.

Even if nothing in the morning goes according to plan in my head at least I have the afternoon nap to look forward to, right. My solace in the day.  Time to recharge. Spend time refocusing.  Time just for me.  Yet even that is not a guarantee.

So usually I spend my day desperately trying to get myself back to the plan in my head, to redeem some part of the day.  All that comes of that is frustration.

Yesterday, though, I tried a new approach.  Instead of holding on to my plan, I let go of it.  Literally, in the middle of what was supposed to be my alone time, I whispered these words, "Well, God, it's not happening today.  Anytime me and You, You need to meet me here in the middle of dishes and tired kids.  In the middle of this chaos because this is my day now."  I wish I could say that the kids turned out and went to bed or atleast gave me a moment of silence. They didn't.  But what did happen when I let go of my plan is that I missed the frustration of trying to get back on track.  I accepted my day and moved on.

Years ago, a friend told me, "Even though it isn't the day that you had planned, it is the day God had planned for you."  Those words have stuck with me.  He was not surprised by any part of my day and actually He orchestrated it all. Having a plan isn't a bad thing, fighting tooth and nail to keep that plan alive is where we go wrong.

Let go of your plan and grab onto His.
"Many are the plans of a mans heart, but the Lord directs His steps." Proverbs 19:21