A Different Way
By Susan Klein
“In his heart a man plans his course, but
the Lord determines his
steps.”
Proverbs 16:9 (NIV)
We all make
decisions and choices: a career path to take, if or whom we will marry, how
many children we’d like to have, what type of home to live in, what city to reside
in, what church to attend. We all, to some degree, plan a course for our lives.
But, as some know better than others, life doesn’t always go according to our
plans.
For example, take
the young college-bound woman. She plans a short-term mission trip to Africa
after H.S. graduation, planning to enter college as a freshman in the fall. She
goes on the trip as planned; she enters college as planned….but something
drastically different happens. The Lord has been working in her heart since her
trip. And now, all she can think about is abandoning college and returning to
Africa to reside amongst the needy people. Permanently. It wasn’t her initial plan,
but God determined her steps. [1]
Some might question,
If God has other things for us to do, why
make plans at all? Or maybe they ask, If
God created us to do the good works He prepared in advance for us to do, why
not just wait for Him to show us what those good works are? [2] The answer is… He
gave us the gift of “choice.” And He is especially delighted when we consult
Him about our choices. He doesn’t intend for us to just sit around waiting for
Him to drop a note in our lap with all the answers.
Sometimes God honors
our course choice, but maybe He chooses a different path by which we get there.
For instance, a couple decides they want to raise several children after they
marry, but God chooses adoption for them rather than naturally conceiving their
own.
Other times, when He
knows of a better choice, one that will perhaps bring about more glory and
honor to Him, God will direct our steps on a totally different course (as in
the story of the young woman above). It doesn’t mean that we should never plan,
never plot a course, never take chances or follow our hearts. It means that God
is our ultimate guide. He has the final say in determining which way our feet
should go; albeit, sometimes a different way than what we’ve chosen.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Looking back, can you see times
when God may have altered your course a bit or even completely changed it?
2. Are you including Him in your
decision making process?
FURTHER
READING:
Susan is married to Mark, and co-leads an in-home small group.
She serves as a mentor to young women, and is a member of Oakwood’s Peace Team,
helping people work through conflict.
[1]
Katie Davis Majors, https://amazima.org/about-us/katies-story/
[2]
Ephesians 2:10
