That's a plan !

Plans are necessary things.  We all get involved with plans in one way or another throughout our lives don't we?

• builders follow blueprints (plans) to build our homes
• employees, such as tool and dye workers, follow intricate and detailed plans
• we make wedding plans for our daughters
• we make vacation plans for our families
• we plan for retirement....and the list goes on and on

In our heads we probably all make plans about how we hope our lives will run their course. If you are like me, you prefer those plans to run very smoothly.  We like to have all of our ducks in a row and we might struggle when things happen to disrupt those plans.  What it really boils down to is that us men, husbands, and fathers really want to be in charge of our lives, and by thinking that way we are not fully honoring the grand architect of our lives, God.

If a builder doesn't pay attention to and trust the plans provided to him by the architect, there is a real possibility that there will be some things terribly wrong with the house he is building.  The builder, in doing that, is taking control over the job, and there will be consequences.  A good builder will consult with the architect if he wants to talk about changes in the plans.

The bottom line is that God has a plan for our lives.  He knows what is best for us, how to use us for His work, and what He wants out of our lives.  And because those plans aren't visible to us on a blueprint, He only asks that we talk with Him about our lives, that we listen for His guidance, and that we trust Him.  His plans may be very, very different from our plans.  His plans will have bumps, curves, barriers we need to cross, but they all represent things we can learn from to make us better men and stronger Christ followers.  We learn none of that from the plans we have made.  A smooth road gets boring.

The only plan for our lives we should have is to follow God's plan.  Now that's the plan!

What are your plans for your life?  Are you listening to the real Architect of your life?  Do you need to listen more?