I'm a planner. I obsessively plan out everything I possibly can down to the smallest detail. I plan ahead...way ahead. I can't help it, it's just the way I am. I think planning makes me feel like I have even the slightest bit of control of my life. Sometimes my plans work out perfectly, and I feel on top of the world...other times, I am slapped in the face by reality because I am so not in control.

He is.

I think we often forget that there is an ultimate plan out there that has been made just for us. We get so caught up in the small things and wanting our lives to be perfect in the eyes of others that we forget about the One who is really in charge of it all. It's so easy to say, "Yeah, I trust in God's plan for me," but do we really? Probably not.

It seems so simple to just trust that things are all going to end up okay, but let's be realistic, this is really hard to do. When things go wrong in certain areas of our lives, it seems difficult to understand why God would do this. I've struggled my whole life to understand why bad things happen to good people and questioned God because if He really loves me, why would He do this?

The truth is, we live in a very, very broken world. A broken world that is full of sin. This doesn't seem like much of an answer but think about it...We fail daily, and somehow, the Lord still loves us and still has this divine plan made special to every single person. He has a reason behind every heartbreak, every failed test, every person who comes and goes in our lives; He has a reason for it all. Maybe the real question is why do good things happen to bad people? In reality, we're all bad people. We do wrong and fail the Lord daily, yet He still loves us beyond comprehension.

He owns the skies, and still, He wants our hearts. How amazing that we are loved by a God despite our controlling personalities that are quick to fail. All of our flaws, sins, and failures are no match for the power of the Lord. Our shortcomings are no surprise to Him. In fact, His dream is that through those shortcomings, we would look to Him and feel His love and comfort as more than enough and, ultimately. spread His good news.

God's unfailing grace is what carries us through it all. Not our own plans. Not our parents. Not our friends. God.

1 Peter 1:6-7:So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.