I Did It His Way

In his heart, a man  plans his course,

But the Lord determines his steps.

♦

In her heart, a woman plans her course,

But the Lord determines her steps.

Proverbs 16:9

When I was younger, I would wonder why in the world God thought it was so important for the men and women He created to bond together and have children.  The marriage idea sounded wonderful, but the kids?  What a hassle!  Perhaps because of my own childhood, or some other factor that I am unaware of, I grew up determined not to have any children.  I was more of a watcher of humanity rather than a participator, and during my young adulthood, I could see no redeeming reason for bringing a child into the world, other than to take care of me in my old age, which seemed a little selfish.

It was not until the age of thirty-three that I decided to have children. Even with that adult maturity under my belt, it took me a while to realize that my relationship with my kids mirrored my connection with the Almighty.  My three girls were wonderful little people who definitely had minds of their own, and ideas vastly different from each other.  Even in toddlerhood, there were times when they were positive that they knew what was best – not stodgy old mom.  They made plans galore for wonderful adventures that they were going to experience.  But they were children, and I was the adult with far greater insight and knowledge.  It was often my job to direct their steps away from their determined course.  

And so it is with the Lord and me.  From my waking moment, I am planning out just how my day [week, month] is going to go.  I decide that I will do this, that, and the other thing.  At that very moment, God is smiling down, knowing that some of those plans are not going to come to fruition, for He has far greater insight and knowledge than I. I may plan my course, but God determines my ultimate destination.

My grandmother used to say, “This is what I am going to do today - Lord willing, and the creek don’t rise.”  If I obstinately run ahead and take a fall, God lovingly picks me up and dusts me off; but He and I both know that it really does work better if I hold on to His hand.