Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted.
Psalm 127:1 (NLT)
My plans were pretty typical of any college graduate; find an enjoyable job with a good salary, marry a kind and patient Christian man, raise two or three children, and live in a nice house in a quiet suburb with a white picket fence. Nothing fancy, just an average dream for an average girl.
But God had other plans. He didn’t snatch the dreams away, but He did alter them in unforeseeable ways. Patiently, He revealed the flaws in my plans, from a foundation built on sinking sand to walls built of vain glory. The problem with laying plans without consulting God is that, when the winds blow and tear the house down, you find yourself with a hefty mortgage and nothing to show for all your hard labor.
Thankfully, God excels in redeeming our losses. He takes what is broken and shapes it into a new life that is far beyond what we could ever think or imagine.
It’s never easy to let go of our plans, especially when we have to exchange them for heartache, grief, exhaustion, and loss. Yet, when we surrender our will to God, He gives us so much more than what we’d wished for–He gives us exceedingly above and beyond what we could ever think or dream of. While we’ve been building a house of cards, He’s been building a mansion for us. Because that’s the kind of Father He is.
Thought: “When ours [our plans] are interrupted, His are not. His plans are proceeding exactly as scheduled, moving us always (including those minutes or hours or years which seem most useless or wasted or unendurable) ‘toward the goal of true maturity.’” – Elisabeth Elliot
For further reading:
- Proverbs 16:9
- Proverbs 24:3
- Isaiah 43:19
- Hebrews 3:4