God's Plans For Sickness

When I went to bed last night I had lots of plans. I planned on being offline most of the day today, catching up on reading, maybe going on a bike-ride, and generally having what I would call a productive day. I envisioned my beautiful family (pictured on the left) waking up all healthy and ready to face the day. However, I forgot about Proverbs 19:21- "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand."

God's plans began to be revealed around 3:00 this morning when our middle child, the one sticking her tongue out, began having the same symptoms our other two kids had the day before. Pretty soon she and my wife were... getting rid of some unwanted food shall we say. By the time the sun was up they were both incapacitated, which meant a "stay at home and try to get work done from there" kind of a day for me.

Some might complain about this. After all, the work I was going to do still has to get done. Just because real life intrudes on our plans doesn't mean we ignore our responsibilities. However, it does mean things get shuffled around. As for me, I'm not complaining. I get to spend time with my family when they are all in a snuggley mood. I get to care for their needs and be depended upon. I get to make delicious food to soothe their sick tummies, and of course there are lots of "I love you"s and "You are my favorite Daddy"s thrown in along the way.

What about my work? What about the time lost? What about my plans? What about them. I doubt I will come to the end of this year and say, "Man, I wish I had been able to spend just a few more hours reading for seminary." I'll be able to look back on this day, now filled with memories of quality time with my family, for years to come. I can tell stories about this day to my girls when they are grown and taking care of their own families in times of illness.

What about you? What are you planning on? Are they things that you'll be able to talk about for years to come? Are you enjoying the interruptions to your plans that God brings along? Personally, I hope my life is filled with God's surprise plans. I'll still plan out my days and weeks ahead, but I will always try to enjoy God's plans when they interrupt my own.

Speaking of interruptions, it's time for me to give some loving attention to a sick child...

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