To Plan or not to Plan

Over the last nine months we have traveled to the east, north, to the south, back west, back east, to the south again, then northwest and now southeast once again.  With any trip there are many things that need to happen to make each leg of the journey fun and as care free as possible.  Now for most people who know me planning is not a strong point of mine, so I knew from the beginning this was something I would really have to work on.  Planner or not, the journey across the country was going to happen, there would be times where the plan would be executed just as we worked out and times where we would just have to go with the flow. One way or another we were determined to enjoy the madness, I mean, enjoy making memories! 

 As our journey began we had a general idea on where we wanted to go, what we would see along the way and when we would go.  We also knew that along the way Graham would have to work and we would need to locate the family to an area where we had friends. Graham knew that he was not to leave us at Jim Bob's Trailer Park in Podunk, Arkansas for any reason.  (For all my Arkansas friends I mean nothing by this, and I'm sure I will love your state when we make it through.) Now, after traveling around for a while, as long as Jim Bobs has hook ups to include, a dumping area I will take it. 

In the initial planning process I had these grand ideas that we would be able to just leisurely go from spot to spot stopping at all the road side attractions like, Car Hedge, or South of the Border, Wall Drug, and while in the car we would be singing, "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain, The Bean Song, or playing games such as, I'm going on vacation and I'm bringing”, or the license plate game.  Then, I would give the kids their schoolwork for the day and they would smile cheerfully at me and just do their work.   I would answer questions about what we have seen or what they are working on and all would be just dandy.  Well, that imaginary bubble was popped just 200 miles after we pulled out of my parent’s driveway in Nevada.  On our 2 1/2 hour drive the kids asked are we there yet a gazillion times, said, "I'm bored more times then I can count, and already were making rules about whose side is whose on the couch and what lines can or cannot be crossed.  As far as the singing, that is always a go and playing games, always a hit.   Whew!  I won't even mention the school work, if you have kids you can just imagine how well it went, if you don't well let's just say we may have had a small outburst here or there.

Execution and flexibility have become the key to any plan we make. The execution part comes quite easy at times as all we have to do is get on the road and, check, plan has been executed!  Flexibility, however, gets a little trickier for me.  Let me give you an example of flexibility from our trip. The second leg of our journey started in February in California.  The plan was to go south for obvious reasons, the weather, and also get to Florida by April for Graham to attend a month long class for his job.  We get to Florida and while there we find out that he is not going to the class in April and his job in May has been canceled as well. So after much discussion we decide that it is best for us to go see some wonderful friends in Montgomery while he goes back to Hawaii to work, and really, get some money. 

Now, as I type this, it is mid July and we are on our way to Florida (for Graham's class) by way of South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and finally Florida.  We have ten days and things have been planned.  Do I think the plan will change?  There is no doubt!  Will we have to forgo stopping at the "Welcome to (insert name of state here) sign for a picture? Probably!  Will the kids know any difference?  Nope!  Will they have a great time no matter what we see?  For sure!  (Well depending on the kid, the time of day and the state of the moon.) 

With all these changes in the plans, I discovered my need for some sort of stability.  And since we didn't have a house, we were in a different area every couple days, we didn't have a church family, there were no friends houses to walk down to and talk with while the kids played, all the change of plans was hard for me to wrap my mind around.  After many discussions with Graham and time in prayer God showed me something.  What if tomorrow He asked us to go serve Him in another country, minister to those in need, give up everything and live in a hut with a dirt floor?  Would I go stomping and kicking and have a bad attitude the whole time, or would I get myself together and rely on him to fill me with His peace, joy, goodness, kindness, and self-control? He reminded me that this is what He has called us to for now.  Now is the time!  And in this I need to grab onto the joy that only He can give. And when plans change, my first reaction needs to be to pray and ask Him what He has in store for us today.  I love the passage in Mathew where Jesus is getting ready to send out his disciples.  He tells them, "Don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." Before that He goes into more detail.  "Don't worry about what you will eat, or where you will live, or what you will wear. " So fitting for this season of life.  Think about today, live for today.  Another verse that often comes to mind is Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".  My prayer is that we would have ears to listen to Him as He leads us and shows us where our next stop needs to be. That way anywhere we go we know it is another opportunity that He has brought our way to tell others of the greatness of our God.