When God Smudges My Plans

How my sweaty thumb reminded me of God's plans

My name had almost completely worn off the coffee cup by the time I noticed it was there.

This label from a cafe in White Sulphur Springs made me laugh out loud yesterday. The guy in the nearby truck didn’t seem to appreciate the disturbance near his favorite hardware store hangout.

The cafe had cleverly added my name to finish the faith-centric message on my cup. Not typically my style, but I appreciate the effort.

So what had me laughing at my latte while standing alone on a city sidewalk?
My name had smeared off before I even realized the label existed.

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11

The typical reading of Jeremiah 29:11 isn’t really my jam.
We miss the point because we rush to focus on the prospering way too quickly.

We don’t want to wrestle with the original context of Yahweh choosing not to abandon His exiled people even after their own rebellion put them there. Or that it was referring to a community of people not just an individual. Or that it took 70 years for God to come through on His promise after He made it.

We prefer the reading that God Almighty wants to orchestrate a win for my kid’s 10U team.

But I digress.

It was a humorous bit of irony, though…
Someone’s best made plans slapped onto a delicious latte only to be foiled by a little mid summer condensation and my fat thumb.

I’m grateful for the times God has humbled me, for the many moments when He’s shown me that His ways are not my ways. I’ve often thought that I had life all figured out, convinced I knew exactly what my life should look like.

I’m thankful that the Lord has never taken my advice into consideration.

Sure. God has a plan for me. He has a plan for you, too.
He wants what’s best for us. And He actually knows what’s best.
That’s something we can truly trust in,
even when our plans get a little smudged sometimes.

"Man plans, God laughs" - Old Yiddish Proverb