The
first thing that struck me about this license plate holder was that it
was on a BMW 5 Series (which I truly admire. If you have the means, I
highly recommend one- I certainly don’t have the means). The second
thing that struck me is the apparent contradiction of images. On the
one hand, this beautiful new BMW 5 Series carried an aura of “I’ve made
it . . . and the evidence that I’ve made it is the fact that I’m driving
this beautiful new BMW.” Yet, on the other hand, this person had not
only the humility but also the desire to let the world know about a
paramount truth in his/her life . . . “It doesn’t matter what I plan,
God has the final say.”
If I had a life theme, I think this truly sums it up: I make plans . . . God laughs. I’m starting to get the idea that God is laughing a lot about my plans because He seems to change every one.
This past year I was sure God was leading me to become a chaplain in the Navy. The process is long and arduous but I persevered through all the hoops. The final step was being flown out to Washington D.C. to the Naval Headquarters for a final interview with a panel of high-ranking Navy officers. I must have done alright in the interview because I was selected to the Chaplain Corps.
Here’s
where God started to laugh. As soon as I was selected, I began to feel
a sense of uneasiness about going ahead with my plans. I then received
my first assignment: Okinawa! I should have been thrilled with these
orders, but I began to feel the opposite emotion. At one point, when I
was in my Navy recruiter’s office signing the paperwork to join, I had
to stop the process because I was beginning to feel severe
apprehension. The Navy set a final date for me to make a decision. My
wife and I prayed up to the last minute of the deadline and I eventually
declined my commission because I didn’t feel God’s peace. I made plans
. . . God laughed!”
If you are reading this blog, you’ll notice I pastor a church in Southern California. This leads to another example of my life theme. Before I came to California, my wife and I were sure God was calling me to a church in the small Kansas town of Leoti. Leoti is a town of about 2000 people in Southwest Kansas. The people there are either farmers or ranchers and have a real zest for life. I had been interviewing with this church for awhile and we were making plans for me to come out to the church to preach a sermon in order for the congregation to vote on whether they wanted to call me as their pastor.
As the time got closer to deciding a date, I started to feel apprehensive about this decision. There were some external factors that were a problem (i.e. our house in Denver had been on the market eight months without a nibble), but I couldn’t pinpoint any single issue for being the cause of my apprehension. The more I prayed, the more apprehensive I got. The apprehension eventually grew to the point that I knew I had to stop the process. It was an extremely difficult phone call to make because I had grown to enjoy the people and looked forward to being their pastor. Once again, I made plans and God laughed.
Over the course of the next couple of months, no other ministry positions opened up. Then, at a friend’s wedding, I was sitting next to a gentleman from my denomination who asked what I was up to. He then asked if I would consider pastoring a church in a smaller town in Southern California that consisted of all senior citizens. “And, oh ya, part of the church was a converted chicken coup” he said. Let me say that I didn’t exactly spring out of my chair with excitement. However, since I was seeking to get back into ministry, I decided to pray about the position.
The wheels started turning quickly with this position and the church was excited to talk to me and I was excited to talk with them. The first phone call from the church came from one of their elders who started the conversation with, “So you want to come to Southern California . . .” I felt like responding, “No, I’m not looking to come to Southern California but it’s the only option I have at the moment.” I decided against saying that.
The wheels kept turning quickly right up to the point they were ready to talk about the terms of my call to the church if I was selected by the congregation. This is where the wheels fell off . . . all they could afford is $24,000 a year! Boy, was I in a pickle . . . do I take the job for $24,000 or do I hope that another ministry job comes along? My wife and I went to the Lord. The more we prayed, the more we began to feel a strong call to this little church even if the money was barely above the poverty mark. Once again, I made plans and God laughed.
Thinking back to my college days, I was sure that I would meet my wife in college. My plan was to meet her during college, graduate, work a couple of years and then get married. God laughed! I didn’t meet her during college and it was a good thing I didn’t meet her during college because I would never have considered her . . . because she was twelve years old when I graduated! Once again, I made plans and God laughed.
However, as I look at the situation with the Navy, the church, and my wife, I can now see that every time I made plans and God laughed, it wasn’t a cynical laugh from God. No, it was a wonderful chuckle from a loving Father saying, “Son, I know you think you know where you are going, but I have something else in mind for you . . . and what I have in mind is far better than anything you planned.”
So, thank you Father, for laughing at my plans. Thank you for closing the door to the Navy. I’m far better suited here where you’ve placed me. Thank you for leading me to this church that once had part of it as a chicken coup. These are the most wonderful people and have been an absolute joy. Thank you for laughing at my plan to meet my wife in college and get married shortly thereafter. Your plan brought the most wonderful woman I could ever have imagined.
So when you make plans and God laughs, praise Him! For His plan is far better than yours would ever have been.
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