The Best Laid Plans

​“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

One of my staff members tore a muscle in her knee and required surgery to repair it. On her last day of work prior to the operation, she assured me she would return to work within three weeks, four at the most. Having seen friends and other co-workers experience similar surgeries, I was surprised at her prognosis of the situation. About ten days later, the woman called to inform me that it would be January before she would be released to work. With disappointment coloring her voice, she said she was still wearing a brace and her physical therapy wouldn’t begin for another few days.

Needless to say, she was discouraged at what she perceived as a setback. Further conversation revealed that during the conversation to schedule her procedure, the doctor told her to expect six to eight weeks of recovery time. Thinking she knew best, she ignored his medical knowledge of what her body required to heal. She was sure she’d be back on her feet sooner than he predicted.

How many times have we ignored God’s plan for us, thinking that we knew better? Personally, more times than I’d like to admit. It’s discouraging when failure strikes after we run ahead of the Lord and circumstances don’t work out. But if we had stuck to his plans to begin with, life would have taken a different turn.

December is a time when most people create a list of resolutions they plan to meet during the upcoming year. Lose weight. Get a new job. Go back to school. Save money. Take a trip. Maybe your list includes some of these items.

Ask anyone who knows me, and they’ll tell you I’m a big list maker. I’ve already begun to think about my resolutions for next year. This year I’m reminded to seek God’s input before I start making my plans. I hope you will too.

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Linda Shenton Matchett

With a BA in Psychology and Masters in Human Resource Management, Linda Matchett has had a wide and varied career as a crisis counselor, HR generalist, B&B owner and youth center director. She is currently the Front of House, Snackbar & Catering Manager at Brewster Academy. A journalist and blogger, she has written for numerous online and print publications. An author of Christian contemporary and historical fiction, Linda is also a a motivational speaker. Available topics include Life on the (WWII) Home Front, Wartime Baking, Women in the (WWII) Workforce, The Writer’s Life, God in the Workplace, The Proverbs 31 Gal: The Woman We Love to Hate, and Ruth: Lessons from a Foreigner. Linda is a member of First Baptist Church Wolfeboro where she sings in the choir and serves as Church Treasurer and a member of the Fellowship Team.