Let's Make a Plan
My sons and I are getting ready for a four-day trip to Monterey with my parents and my sister Kristy and her kids.
Preparing for this get-away has involved a lot of decisions and changes of plans, leaving me wondering at times if we should even be going. But God made the answer to that clear. Christian worked hard all summer with no days off (except for weekends) or fun events. He needs to have a real vacation before starting college classes again. My parents haven’t seen Christian since spring break. School starts the week after next, meaning no more spontaneous escapes. We need to go. Only one thing has held me back from fully looking forward to the trip—lack of funds.
I have been waiting all week for two checks, one of which was overdue. Each day I reminded God how badly I needed the money. And each day the mail came with no check included. I fretted. I fought back tears. I reminded God again about my need. I was tempted to call my parents and admit that I didn’t have any spending money—that I probably should stay home. But I knew what they would say: “Don’t worry about it. We just want to see you. We’ll cover whatever you need.” And I didn’t want that. Not after they’d booked Amtrak tickets for me and the boys. Not knowing that they were covering the hotel. I wanted to cover my own extras. I needed that money!
But what if it didn’t come?
Finally, God prompted me to calm down and come up with a plan. Step one: I would ask about the overdue check. At least then I would know whether to expect it before leaving. I would also get an idea for when to expect it. If the check didn’t arrive in time, I would take funds out of savings then replace it with my check, once it arrived.
As it turned out, the overdue check had been mailed. I could possible arrive in time. If not, I have a plan. (We're still waiting for mail to be delivered.)
How often do I panic and fret—all the while reminding God about my problem as if He’s clueless—when what I really need to do is ask Him to help me find the answer? God knows my needs and my desires; He knows that it is right to want to pay my own way rather than expecting my parents to do it. Why don’t I trust Him to meet those needs?
This answer—this Plan B—doubled as an exercise in trusting. What a wonderful bonus.
Thank You God for calming my heart as you so faithfully help me find solutions to daily problems.
Preparing for this get-away has involved a lot of decisions and changes of plans, leaving me wondering at times if we should even be going. But God made the answer to that clear. Christian worked hard all summer with no days off (except for weekends) or fun events. He needs to have a real vacation before starting college classes again. My parents haven’t seen Christian since spring break. School starts the week after next, meaning no more spontaneous escapes. We need to go. Only one thing has held me back from fully looking forward to the trip—lack of funds.
I have been waiting all week for two checks, one of which was overdue. Each day I reminded God how badly I needed the money. And each day the mail came with no check included. I fretted. I fought back tears. I reminded God again about my need. I was tempted to call my parents and admit that I didn’t have any spending money—that I probably should stay home. But I knew what they would say: “Don’t worry about it. We just want to see you. We’ll cover whatever you need.” And I didn’t want that. Not after they’d booked Amtrak tickets for me and the boys. Not knowing that they were covering the hotel. I wanted to cover my own extras. I needed that money!
But what if it didn’t come?
Finally, God prompted me to calm down and come up with a plan. Step one: I would ask about the overdue check. At least then I would know whether to expect it before leaving. I would also get an idea for when to expect it. If the check didn’t arrive in time, I would take funds out of savings then replace it with my check, once it arrived.
As it turned out, the overdue check had been mailed. I could possible arrive in time. If not, I have a plan. (We're still waiting for mail to be delivered.)
How often do I panic and fret—all the while reminding God about my problem as if He’s clueless—when what I really need to do is ask Him to help me find the answer? God knows my needs and my desires; He knows that it is right to want to pay my own way rather than expecting my parents to do it. Why don’t I trust Him to meet those needs?
This answer—this Plan B—doubled as an exercise in trusting. What a wonderful bonus.
Thank You God for calming my heart as you so faithfully help me find solutions to daily problems.
posted by Jeanette Hanscome at 4:18 PM
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