To the Girl with the Plan...


To the girl with a Plan: 


You know who you are. 
You have the Pinterest boards. 
You have the ideas. 
You have ...THE.. Plan.

You will find prince charming before college graduation. He'll propose spring semester (that ring by spring). You'll get married that fall, and both have wonderful jobs that fully support you and the crazy travel excursions you'll wanna take. A few years later, when the timing is perfect, you'll decided to have a family. And you'll move to your dream home in your dream town, and have weekly Tuesday brunch with your best friends. And then the kids will go to college, and you'll stay involved in volunteer work of course, life will go on just splendidly, and at the ripe age of 97 you and your husband will die at the same time thus preventing any tragedy. 

Oh my friend, if only God worked that way. 
He doesn't.

You might not ever find prince charming. That perfect job of yours falls through. You lose a child. A bad financial decision forces you out of your house. That best friend has to move across the country for a job. You lose your spouse at a young age from a horrible disease, or a car accident, or something you never saw happening.

And it's so hard. 

Or maybe God decides to use you in some radical way, and calls you to do something crazy that you feel no way able to do.

That's hard too.

THE PLAN, you tell me. 

I HAD A PLAN AND GOD MESSED IT UP.

And as it hard as it is for you to see right now, God didn't mess anything up.
He doesn't do that.

His plans are perfect. One hundred percent perfect. 

"As for God, His way is perfect: The Lord's word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him." Psalm 18:30


My friend, I know you don't understand the plans He has for us. I don't either. 
There are many, many times when we don't understand why God would choose things to happen. 
I'm only 19, but I have a feeling that I will wonder why God chose to take my mom from me at such a young age until the day I die. 

But let me tell you something, we were not designed to understand everything the Creator of the Universe does. If we were, we wouldn't have cancer or war or crimes.

All we can do is trust that He will take care of us. And He will. 

Maybe, my dear friend, you are at a different part of this plan thing. Maybe God has called you to do something crazy for Him. 
And you think, "God this is not in the plan. Like what is going on, I am not qualified for this."

First, let me tell you a secret. 
I'm not in any way qualified to write this blog. I'm barely 19 years old. 
I'm also still not sure who thought it was a good idea to put me in charge of 37 kids my junior year of high school at EFM. I was definitely not qualified for that either, but I am really glad they did.

Second of all, God calls us to do things beyond our wildest beliefs for Him. 
One of my favorite quotes says that "God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called."

If He is calling you to something, go for it friend. Pursue it with your whole heart, trusting that He will take care of you. And He will. He takes care of the birds, He's got you.

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life..... Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor gather nor reap, and yet your Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than them?" Matthew 6:25-26


Friend. I know you want to know the plan. You want to know what is going to happen and when it is going to happen and how it is going to happen so you can.. well, plan. 

Not how God works. 

My favorite verse says, "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21


And that IS how God works. 
HIS plans are what will happen.
And friend, please trust me that they are always the best ones, even if you don't think so now. They really are.

So my friend, the one who wants a plan, take a breath. 

The creator of the world has you in His hand. 

He is there for you in the rough patches and the easy patches.
He knows the number of hairs on your head and stars in the sky.

Friend, His plan for you is perfect the way it is.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."Isaiah 55:8-9


Your plan may be full of trials, but they will make you stronger. 
Maybe your plan is full of crazy adventures used to bring God glory.
Or perhaps you are just living your life, waiting for something to happen. 

Whatever your plan is friend, know that it is EXACTLY how it is supposed to be at this very moment.

And know that the Father loves you so incredibly much.

Keep pushing on, my friend. You may not know the plan, but the One who does has it under control. 

Find peace in that, in the middle of this crazy week.

With much love, Alana










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