Life is What Happens While You're Making Other Plans

CONTINUING FROM MATTHEW:

18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[c] because he will save his people from their sins."
22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"[d]—which means, "God with us."
24When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

You won't find me quoting him much, but John Lennon had it right. Plan what we might, prepare for what we think will happen, but plan and prepare as we would like, life goes on and most of the time not as planned. Joseph and Mary had an arranged marriage. The marriage was planned, set up and here comes God to make the statement that He often makes, "I've got something else in mind for you. Something that is different than what you planned, but something that will bless you even more and glorify my kingdom." So, Joseph does as we often do, thinks, "God, I understand You have a better plan, but I think I can help You out. I'll not take Mary as my wife and I'll let her 'go away' - you know to keep her from shame and embarrassment. Not that I would suffer any blemish on my ego or character, you see, I'm doing it for You God, and for Mary."

God comes back in, and lets Joseph know that He appreciates the help and the idea, but that's not the plan. Joseph is told, the child is from God, the child will deliver the world. Spare the embarrassment, hold the divorce, Joseph, the plan has been made. God made a way to come to earth and be with us. Joseph may not have understood, but the message was delivered and he obeyed. Joseph took his ego out of the way, ditched his plans and let God's plan go through. He let God act, he let God come to earth to save us all.

I have realized that I have 20/20 hindsight when I look back at God's work through my life. I planned this, I set up that, I knew what I was doing and where I was going. And WHAM! Right in the midst of things, just when I knew what was up, life changed. During the times of great change and stress, I often don't realize it, but I see it now. I see the plan that God had and it all turned out greater than my best plans and ideas that I could have ever come up with to get through at the time.

Are you facing change now that seems contrary to how you think life should be going? Have your plans fallen through? Do your best ideas seem to not turn out just right? Look deeper into the questions - "you think life should be going"; "your plans fallen through"; "your best ideas". Change the nouns - Is life going the way God planned it? Are God's plans falling through? Do God's ideas not turn out just right? Let's replace us with God and see what happens.

Let's look at things this way when life turns and gives us outcome that is different than what we expect. Let's get ourselves out of the questions and plans. Let's look up and thank God for the change and prepare for deliverance and life alterations that will be better than we could ever arrange or plan.