“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)
By Jim Ingram
Sometimes, things don’t go according to our plans, but if we have courage and put our trust in the Lord, the result of our labors will bear fruit in those we encounter.
A couple of months ago I worked with a young man from another Christian organization to plan a weekend retreat. I proposed a “Working For Our Father” retreat, and even though his members declined the idea, we all united behind the goal of focusing on Christian development for young men.
Our venue was a comfortable pole barn, on 120 acres, that was half lodge and half garage. On Friday, a few of us went to the property early to set up and get a jump start on the service projects. When the others arrived, there was a tremendous sense of excitement. These men were ready to have a good time and to hear the Lord.
The first challenge they faced was that the lodge could comfortably accommodate 11 people, but there were 13 of them, plus myself and the owner of the venue. Some were in beds; some were on the floor. We had two bathrooms, with showers, for the 15 of us.
Then, in order to keep the costs down, the young brothers decided this would be a self-help retreat. We had to prepare our own meals, clean up after ourselves, and be ready to serve each other. The men divided the chores amongst themselves: those with cooking skills prepared the meals, others helped to set up and then clean the tables; they deferred to one another for bathrooms and showers; they kept the place clean and respected the rules of the lodge.
The weekend was different from what I wanted, but I used my experience organizing Challenge Weekends to plan and implement a different retreat. I’m leaving the results of what happens next to the Lord.
Pray
Lord, when things don’t go my way, help me see past the disappointment I feel due to circumstances beyond my control.
Reflect
When you are faced with an unplanned situation and must change directions, how do you cope?
Discuss
How hard is it to leave things up to the Lord when your best-laid plans have been upended?
Jim Ingram lives in Burnsville, Minnesota, with his wife Brenda. In addition to
WorkLight, Jim leads students on service projects in Minneapolis and goes wherever someone needs help.