My Badge Of Honor Is A Reminder That We Plan, God Laughs...

You've probably heard that Woody Allen quote: "If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans." I'm pretty sure that quote isn't scripture, but I think this one is close enough: "For my thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine." Isaiah 55:8.

We usually just March to the beat of our own drums, right?! We have our own agendas and mental notes about how we want our lives to play out, but sometimes God has other plans for us, and they're always bigger and better than we could ever dream of. As I close out this segment on my Badge of Honor and Battle Wounds, I thought this would be an appropriate time to share my lived experience with the power of a greater plan.

I definitely had my own agenda for the birth of Mr. President #2. I was scheduled for an induction exactly eight days after my due date [I know that's a long time -- I guess he just wasn't ready to come on out...], and because I was induced with Mr. President #1, I was hoping things would work out the exact same way. Little did I know, I was in for a big surprise because God and I were not on the same page that day.

When the medical staff came rushing in my hospital room to prepare me for an emergency cesarean the night Mr. President #2 was born, I just knew things were going to go terribly wrong. I was a complete mess, my husband wasn't quite sure what to do, and everyone around me was in a panic. The only thing I could do at that moment was pray, and jump on God's bandwagon.

When I was rolled into the operating room, I remember sitting up to get ready for my spinal injection. I'll never forget the moment my Obstetrician reached for my oxygen mask, removed it from my mouth, grabbed a tissue from his pocket, and wiped the snot and tears from my face. He rested his hand on my bed, looked me in the face and said, "What are you so afraid of? I've got everything under control. Just trust me. You will be fine." At that moment, I felt like like someone was speaking through him, so I took a deep breath and let all of my cares go free. Before I knew it, Mr. President had been delivered, and exactly seven seconds later [which seemed like the longest seven seconds of my life], I finally heard his cry.

Sometimes we have to learn to "let go and let God." I know this can prove to be challenging, especially if you like to be in control of everything like me, but when you do, you will always find out His plan was much better than yours. "If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans," is a perfect reminder that someone, much greater than us, will always make a way. Like my mother used to tell me, "If you're gonna pray, don't worry. But if you're gonna worry, don't bother praying."

There are people out there who REALLY want to mess us up! They want to mess up our plans, mess up our lives, and ruin the great things in store for us. Remember that when God messes up our plans, he doesn't mean it to bring evil upon us, but to turn it around for our good. Our storms and battles in life make us appreciate our victories and blessings. Boy am I glad for my battle! If He had not carried out His plan, my lived experiences would not developed the admiration I have for life and love today.

We plan, God laughs, but that's okay with me!