If there’s one thing we have learned over these past eighteen months it is this: the way we plan today, next week, or beyond is subject to change. Little change or big change, change nevertheless.

For those who thrive on calendars [virtual or paper] with all those neat blocks of dates, times, and appointments, the reality that everything and anything may be altered, postponed, or cancelled entirely with barely a moments’ notice is most unsettling. We human beings like the idea we can control what happens throughout our day.

Numerous knowledgeable folks have attributed this sense of not being able to keep our ducks in a row the way we prefer as the fuel that perpetuates much of the anger we see and feel around us. Seems we can’t make it through the grocery store, fill our gas tank, or visit a doctor’s office without someone exhibiting a fair amount of frustration about who-knows-what. Sadly, even the local schools and our young students are no longer spared the ugly words and actions of those who feel justified for the way they behave.

I certainly don’t have any answers to this dilemma. At the same time, I do know that my faith and trust in God is what gets me through any day. While that idea may not work for everyone, for me it is the Divine love, mercy, grace, and compassion that serve to light my path. And to illuminate what, when, where, who, and how I fill in some of those blanks on the calendar.

Pandemic aside, fact is our wherewithal to control is an illusion. Always has been. Which is not to say we are to sit by helplessly as the world around us erupts in various forms of chaos and confusion. What we can do is take responsibility for our responses—act without doing harm to others or ourselves. When things don’t go the way we want them to, we need to take a deep breath, vent our frustration in a safe manner, and then consider our options.

On the other hand, if these kinds of changes in plans have been significant, one has to wonder at the cumulative effect of the smaller changes each of us have experienced on a daily basis. A routine run to the local coffee shop or a date night movie at the theater does not look like it did a year and half ago.

To be angry is not a sin. It’s not wrong to get upset when things don’t go our way. By the same token, to allow that anger to be unleashed with little regard for others is a sure fire way to guarantee someone will be hurt.

To hold our plans loosely requires great humility. Without a doubt, each of us could make our own list of how our life has changed over these long, hard months, but is that the best [or healthiest] use of our time?

Instead, I’d like to suggest three Scriptures that help sustain me when everything I plan seems to be falling apart:

“Entrust your works to the Lord and your plans will succeed.” [Proverbs 16:3]

“The human heart plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps.” [Proverbs 16:9]

“In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will.” [Ephesians 1:11]

Apart from these words of Divine wisdom I often recall an experience I had a few years ago with the Amish contractor who replaced our house roof and siding following a nasty storm. Aware he did not use electronic devices of any kind, I mentioned I had seen a forecast for the next several days which might make it harder to complete our project. He smiled and calmly replied. “If it’s raining when I get up in the morning, I stay home. If it’s not, I go to work.”

God never intended for us to be puppets He maneuvers from here to there. He has given us the blessed gift of freewill which means we can choose our responses and how we will behave. So, go ahead. Plan. And then trust He will direct your steps. Even and especially when it seems to make little sense. Not easy for sure. Yet as we practice again and again the art of letting go, we discover the kind of deep, meaningful peace that surpasses all understanding.

How do I feel when my plans change?

Do I respond or react? What is the important difference?

Can I trust God to unfold the hours of my life as He knows best?