Scottish
poet Robert Burns wrote, “The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray.
And leave us nothing but grief and pain, of promised joy.” (That’s not exactly the
words Burns used, but unless you’re partial to his Scottish dialect, the modern
English works fine.) Anyway, everyone that’s experienced much of life knows how
true that is. Plans, whether big or small, have an annoying way of getting
changed – even when you have no say in the matter.
You neatly plan your day and you’re ready to get started
when the phone rings. A loved one or a friend has an emergency. “Can you come –
right now?” Or you arrive at the office, thinking about the tasks you need to
accomplish, when you’re told of an important, unscheduled departmental meeting in
15 minutes. Or the day arrives for the long-awaited outing and, contrary to the
weather person’s promise last night, a torrential downpour has settled in.
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| When you're formulating your plans, avoid writing them in ink - and always have an eraser handy. |
Years ago, as a new assistant editor at a suburban newspaper,
I was toiling alone on a quiet Saturday morning. Saturdays typically were
slow news days, so getting my feet wet in drawing up the front pages for the
day seemed a simple task. I’d finished my layout sheets to instruct people in the
composing room where each article and photo was to go. I was basking in a
feeling of accomplishment when the unthinkable happened: the bell on the wire
service machine rang, alerting me to major breaking news.
“Oh, no,” I thought. “The pages are done. I can’t make
changes now!” I was tempted to act as if I’d gone suddenly deaf and hadn’t
heard the bell, but was experienced enough to know that when news breaks you
can’t ignore it.
A school bus had crashed in California, killing a number of
students. Even though the news wasn’t from our area, I knew I couldn’t get by
with leaving the nice photo of the tall ships and the cute little feature story
on the front page. It was time to start over – and the press deadline was
approaching.
Before I became overcome with panic, the managing editor
came in, just to “check in” and see how I was doing. Seasoned veteran that he
was, he immediately assessed the situation, took control, rearranged the
stories for the front page, including the account of the tragic crash, and the
paper was ready for the presses with minutes to spare.
Rather than berating my incompetence at coping with a sudden
change under pressure, my boss offered a kindly word of advice I’ve cherished
ever since: “Always have a plan B.”
Recently I read a quote that said, “Write your plans on
paper – and remember that God has the eraser.” Looking over my more than six
decades on earth, considering the convoluted course my life and career have followed, that’s proved true for me. And frankly, I’m glad God is the one with
the eraser.
One of the first Bible passages I learned is Proverbs 3:5-6,
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and
he will make your paths straight.” Many times, in both my professional and
personal life, I felt certain what I planned to do was right only to discover
God had a very different plan. His “plan B.” More often than not, a better plan
than I could have imagined.
That’s why I’ve found assurance in this promise: “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will
give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him
and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the
justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait
patiently for him” (Psalm 37:4-7).
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