Did you plan for it to go this way?

Do you have children? A friend of mine had her first yesterday. Before she gave birth, she told me how she wanted to have a natural childbirth, because her mom had done so with her and her siblings. I remember telling her,

I know your plan is to do this naturally, but if you get in there and determine you can’t, it’s okay to have an epidural. Many people do. The important thing is to deliver a healthy baby.”

I wish I could claim to be a fount of wisdom, but my doctor said similar words to me when I was adamant I didn’t want to have a c-section with my firstborn. He calmly told me that getting the baby here was his job to figure out and raising the child once he arrived was my job to figure out.

Needless to say, my friend had a very rough labor and finally gave in and requested an epidural. She had a reaction to it causing her blood pressure to drop. This led to medicine to regulate the blood pressure which caused the baby’s heart rate to drop, thus leading to an emergency c-section. Whew! Can anyone say stressful?

In the end, the birth didn’t happen as planned. In fact, it took a sharp turn away from the original plan; however, mother and child are both healthy and resting.

How many times do we plan for our lives to go one way, only to find they’re heading another? I’ve lost count. As the old saying goes,

If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.”

Isaiah 55:8 reminds us His plans aren’t always what we plan.

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.

There are times things happen that aren’t our plan or the Lords. We must remember there is a third party involved, the enemy, and he would like nothing better than to kill, steal, or destroy us [John 10:10]. The good news is no matter what happens, the Lord will work it together for good [Romans 8:28]. After all, He has the final say.

How are things going in your life right now? Are they going as planned? Or have they taken a sharp turn you weren’t counting on? Either way, take some time to talk with the Father about it. He loves you and He’d love nothing better than to work it all out for good.