Do you remember the potty training days? Maybe you are in the middle of them. My niece, Haley, is not quite two years old and she is already displaying a bit of interest in the potty. Since my sister-in-law, Jen, is expecting another baby, she’d be thrilled if they conquered potty training before the little one arrives in January. Jen has not pushed the issue. She has just responded when Haley has shown interest.
They had a successful attempt the first time. Haley was quite proud of herself and loved the celebration that followed. Now she has a book on potty training and loves to walk around reading it.
One day last week, Jen was folding laundry and Haley was toddling around the house and she started saying “Poopies in the potty” over and over. It didn’t click in Jen’s mind until she heard water splashing. She took of running to the bathroom and there sat Haley…on the potty (how she got up there we’ll never know) with her butt seated on the back of the toilet seat, diaper on, feet inside the toilet, pulling the toilet paper off the roll and smiling. When Jen checked, sure enough, she had pooped in her diaper.
Haley had a plan of action; however, she was lacking a critical step for success. She needed her mom to be in on what she was doing to help her and guide her (or in this case to take her diaper off and keep her feet out of the water).
How many times do we come up with a plan and fail to go to the Lord in prayer and seek His direction? How many times do we fail to ask Him what He would have us do?
Proverbs 15:29 tells us “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” Psalm 33:11 says “But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” The Lord’s plans are the ones that work, so why are we cranking out our own plans and then upset when they don’t work out for us? Whenever we are faced with a situation, we must FIRST go to the Lord and ask for His direction and then act. Isaiah 30:1 warns us, “Woe to the obstinate children,” declares the LORD, “to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin;”
Haley will never potty train successfully without the help of her mother and our plans will not succeed without the guidance and direction of the Father. Take a moment today to talk with Him and ask Him if you are on the right track. It will prevent you from making a mess of things. Proverbs 28:26 says “He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.”