Plan B, Plan Z, Plan...You've Got to Be Kidding Me.

I had a whole blog written up about guilt. Just revised the last sentence and put the ending period in its place. And then...a bubble pops up on my screen saying "We are experiencing a technical issue" and a button that forces me to press to "reload".

And then...it all disappears.

The whole blog.

Gone.

Okay. Well, what next? Internally, I scream. Outwardly, I sigh heavily which prompts the kids to ask, "What's wrong?"

Oh the usual. Made a plan, attempted to execute said plan, said plan blew up in my face, flames of petty anguish fanned my self-doubt, and I reached for the bag of lemon cookies to emotionally eat away my feelings of frustration.

Fast forward to now ten minutes later, my stomach feels like it needs to be coated in the neon pink that is Pepto Bismol and my mind is talking me into staying in my comfy clothes and giving up for the day.

Heck, while I'm at it, why don't I just quit school, forget ever doing laundry again, question my whole existence, let the kids and the animals rule the house, and emerge from my bed only to caffeinate myself. Totally warranted, right?

A bit excessive, yes. A bit unrealistic, yes. But overwhelming nonetheless.

Life happens. We all know that. We live it every day. From the small hiccups like spilling coffee on our brand new shirt to the flat tire on the way to work to the big life changing events like losing a loved one or finding you no longer have a job to go to.

It's the "how" when we find ourselves shifting our mindset and our actions in these moments that then dictate the ways in which we conquer these mountains.

Here's the wonderful news, there's a Mountain Mover that walks with us to show us the way.

That way may be over, under, around, through, or beside the mountain but there is ALWAYS a way. Some times He packs a bag of dynamite and the mountain is blown away. Some times it's only a small chisel that ever so slowly carves away at the mountain. Some times it's an airplane to fly over. Some times it's a pair of hiking boots to climb.

No matter the method, it most likely is never the way that we envisioned it to be. It is almost never the plan that we originally put into motion.

That's the beauty in our failed plans. We can stop trying to do it our way and do it the way that the Waymaker has planned. That being said, that doesn't mean that His way is easier, is shorter, or is faster. His way is always better than our way.

I seem to walk out plans that are gut-wrenching, faith testing, full of tears, millions of questions, and an abundance of frustration and confusion. However, I wouldn't change walking those paths for anything. In those moments, I find growth in my faith, in my purpose, in my identity, and in my trust of things unseen.

What we may think is Plan A is truthfully probably Plan Z but we just started backwards thinking we were moving forwards.

Try this the next time you find that a plan is suddenly halted, turned upside down, and leaves you needing to conjure up a new plan.

Pause. Listen. Feel. Trust. Follow.

When we follow where He asks us to go, you will find no greater comfort, no greater faith, no greater joy than knowing you're walking a path and fulfilling a plan that already has a known beginning, middle, and perfect end. Some times our failures are truly our beginnings.