Our Plans Can Be Different, Then God’s Plan For Us.

The plans that God has are maybe different from our plans, ideas, thoughts, or wishes.

I think we all had this. We are thinking of how we would like to plan our day, and suddenly things happen and they are messing up your plan. Things are not going the way you would like them to go.

Or sometimes things happen and we have no idea why it is happening that way. We are asking ourselves “Why”. Only to discover that later on, it starts making some kind of sense. Let me try to give you some personal examples and maybe I can tell my thoughts.

Why Is This Happening.

It happened to me several times. Something had happened to me and I asked “Why”. But only to find out maybe weeks or years later, that there was a reason why things went that way.

In 2004 I got fired due to economical reasons. The company was not able to pay me anymore, so I had to look for another work. I was very sad that this had happened because I liked the work. Then suddenly a few months later, I had to undergo an open heart operation. Because I was unemployed, I had time enough to recover from that operation and after that, I was able to look for work again.

Once I started to look for work, within a very short time, I came in contact with an agency that was able to place me in a company that was very close to my house. The whole procedure from my first interview and started my first workday was within one month. Normally it would take longer. Even the people in the company were surprised I started so quickly.

It Happend Again.

This time it was a very big change in my life. But at this moment I am still thinking that God had planned it this way.

After working for the last company for 6 years, again due to economical reasons, I was fired. Of course, at first, I was very angry because as far as I could tell and heard, I was happy with my work and everyone was satisfied with my work. But there was nothing I could do about it.

So I had to look for another work again. In the time that I was trying to find another job, I also planned that I would do home studies. Learn more and later on, try out for a higher position than my previous work. But my plan was cut off.

As you had read my life story, you would know that I ended up in the hospital for 3 months, due to different complications and health problems. Because of all of this, I was not able to work anymore. Luckily, the social security here is very good, and the government would support me financially. In other words, the government would pay my “salary”.

Changing My Future.

This had change my plans for the future. As you maybe know, I had many “why” questions again. And some “what now”.

After recovering from everything, my wife and I joined a Christian church. After some time, I was asked if I would like to help them with the multi-media and later on, also to do some maintenance on the website. Of course, to do something was better than doing nothing. After some time I started to think, that everything that had happened to me before, all had led to this. If I would not be able to NOT work, I think we would never join this church.

Joining the church had changed my view on my future. I am now thinking of other things. Like writing this blog. Sharing my thoughts with others and my view and thought about Christianity. I also would not help the church with its website. I also now have time to restart an old hobby of mine. Building scale models.

My thoughts about this are, that it is God’s way to lead me in a different direction. I had plans to study hard and get a higher position. It took me a long time before I saw what God’s plan was for me.

One More Change in Life.

Many years ago, my wife had joined a Filipino organization that is helping Filipino women in the Netherlands. Shortly after she had joined them, I was asked if I could help them with their IT. So now and then when they had some problems, I would help them with it. Also if they had seminars or events, I would help them with the sound system and the projector. I also had help them with setting up their website.

After my time in the hospital, I informed them that I was no longer able to help them as much as before. So, other people took over the sound system and operated the projector. I still did the maintenance on the website because I could do this in my own time.

Normally around the beginning of the year, I will just inform them if there is anything about the website or if I had changed something. I only do the technical part. For the content on their website, they have other people. I am just making sure the website is up and running and installing updates if needed.

Around the beginning of the year, I found a new tool to help to prevent spam. So I installed it. Of course, they were happy with it because lately, they got some strange emails. So this problem was solved. As a token of appreciation, for all the work that I had done over time, they would like to give me a small token of appreciation.

I just told them that it was my pleasure and joy that I was and are still able to help them and it is not needed. But if they insist, of course, it is welcome and very much appreciated.

Just before the weekend, I received their token of appreciation. I already at that time, I had my eye on a new scale model kit that I was interested in. So I started looking around and also I was looking for a new tool to help me with building my models.

And There Went My Plan. .

In that week, my sister had asked me if I could go with her to an appointment she had the next week. It was in a city where I had worked before and knew the area a little bit. For me, it also would be nice to see that area again and see how things had changed over time.

On the day of that appointment, she told me that her appointment was canceled because that person had reported being sick. So change of plan, for me. I thought I would just work a little on the model I am building. So maybe just relax a little.

Around lunchtime, my wife had called and asked if I maybe could buy a few small things for her. So after lunch, I would look for them. After lunch, I went to the car and tried to start it. But nothing happened. Just some clicking noises but the engine did not want to start. The only thing I could think of was that the car battery had a problem. After checking this, I found out that it was a little bit low on power. A bit strange, because normally there already would be some signs before this would happen. But nothing at all.

So, there was a little bit of panic. What to do now? I called my son and ask him if he could help me, to get a new battery. I was just in time because he just wanted to leave his place to go to work. He told me that I could borrow the car, but I had to get the key from him. The lucky part was, that he is working in the shopping mall where I wanted to go. So instead of taking my car, I had to take public transport.

Now The Pieces Fall in Place.

After getting the key, I picked up the car at his place. But I was told that I need to bring the car back before 17:00 because his girlfriend would use the car. In my mind, this should be possible.

So now I was on the search for the right battery. I found it near our house and went there. I was lucky. The people there told me that this battery was the last one. And the price? It was the same as the small token I received from the organization.

So there went my plan of treating myself for a new kit and I had to get a new car battery.

After replacing the car battery, the car would start again. Lucky me. Now I only had to return the car for my son and bring back his key before the shop would close. I made it with something like 45 minutes to spare.

When I heard the price of the car battery, I was surprised it was the same as what I had received. Now things make sense. And it had to be like that.

Closing.

Of course, my sister was a little bit sad that her appointment was canceled, but after I told her about the car problem, she said “It had to be like that”. And I was thinking, it was lucky it was like that. I could not imagine what stress we would have to make it to that appointment in time. I don’t think we could have made it.

We can make as many and as nice plans as we want. But we never know how much we really can get done. There always can be something on our path. Something we did not expect.

Only, after some time, we can look back at it and see that God had a better plan in store for us. Maybe we don’t agree with that at first. But only time will tell.

As Christians, if something doesn’t go the way we had planned or would like it to go, we need to keep in mind that God has a different or better plan for us. Maybe one door will close, but another one will open. And who knows what is being that door.

I know it is difficult. Because we all like to plan and look ahead. Knowing in advance what will or can happen. But we cannot look into the future. We only can think and try to prepare for the future, but only the future, and God, knows what is in store for us.

As always, please take care and be safe.

God Bless