Planning is good. Being prepared is good. There are many up sides to wanting to have a plan for everything. And believe me, I AM THAT GIRL who always has to have a plan. But what happens when those plans don't work out the way you imagined they would? Disappointment, heartache, and doubt. These things start to creep in, and that is when being so set on YOUR plans can affect your life in a negative way.

It makes me think back to high school. Around my senior year, a lot of teachers began to ask us where we saw ourselves in 5 years, and in 10 years. At that time, I had an exact plan for where I saw myself in the year 2020, and 2025. And if we're being completely honest, it is not at all where I am now, just a few weeks away from the start of 2020.

And you know what, THAT'S OKAY (Side note: It has taken me a while to be able to say those words and actually mean it).

It's okay if YOUR plans don't work out, because what ultimately matters are the plans God has for you. He makes no mistakes. The places, the people, and the experiences in your life right now are absolutely supposed to be there. They are in your life at exactly the right time, for exactly the right purpose; even if that looks a little different than the image you had in your head. You may not see it at first, but I promise it will become evident in your life that all along the way He was working for your good, and there was a perfect reason that certain things may or may not have happened. Your perspective changes when you have confidence that the One who holds the entire universe is making a way for you, too.

And guess what? We don't have to doubt what He's doing in our lives when our plans don't work out. Isaiah 49:23 says that those who hope in the Lord will not be disappointed. We can turn our disappointment into anticipation that He is able to do abundantly more than we could ever imagine. One of my favorite authors (Lysa TerKeurst) said it best: "God's plans are good even when they don't align with mine." So the sooner that we can let go of OUR plans, and hold tight to the hope in HIS plans, the more freely we will be able to live our lives.