Nothing Ever Goes As Planned...........or does it?

I have spent some time recently reflecting back over my life and wondering if things did go as planned, or not. The original master plan was "O" levels, "A" levels, then uni. Plan failed at the "O" level stage due to an interest in music, girls(failing miserably), and the discovery that if I messed around at school the bullies left me alone!

Next plan was to get a job in a travel agency, not the right qualifications, but an employment agency got me a job at an insurance company. Six years later, and fed up by being overlooked for a decent promotion, given to someone not up to the job and later left as could not cope, I joined an insurance broker in Slough.

Three weeks later, they decided I was not for them, not what I had planned at all! However, at this time both my Nan and my Dad both died soon after each other, so it did mean that I was at home to look after my Mum.

Managed to get a job doing maternity cover at an insurance brokers in Maidenhead, this lasted abut another six years. After transfering to the London office, found that travel costs were getting prohibitive after a few years, so when a job came up twenty minutes walk from home, I lept at it. This was a disaster, felt like walking out after one day, lasted just over a year. The chap I had replaced had left as he was having a nervous breakdown, and I nearly followed. The owner was an out and out bully, who did not know how to handle people.

The next stage of the master plan was to relocate down here somewhere, but not Cheltenham, as did not like it. I was to get a job, and my wife would stay at home to raise a family. Yeah right! She got a job first, in Cheltenham, and became pregnant. I stayed at home , family raising. We did end up next to a lovely family, who put us in touch with the Church we now go to.

Durring the a routine scan in the pregnancy, we were advised that the baby was likely to have a major heart problem. The plan was for it to be induced and operated on at Guys in London. What happened? Two months early and in Gloucester, my wife felt unwell and baby was rapidly delivered. Rushed to Bristol, where the possible major turned out to be minor in comparison, but still a few operations over his life so far.

Five years ago, my Mum was planning on moving just down the road from us. She had a stroke, and died three weeks later, the day after our second son was born. Not good timing.

Two months ago, with a hectic schedule of activities planned, I went down with pneumonia and was told to rest up for a couple of months. Not what I would have planned, but has led to me being more refreshed than before.

So after this brief resume of my life, it would appear that nothing ever goes as planned, but does it? None of these events went as I had planned, but who is to say that it has not gone as God has planned. He has a plan for all of our lives, we just don't know what it is exactly. I'm not saying that I think Mum dying was His plan, but as a result of it, when my wife was made redundant, the implications were not as bad as they could have been. My eldest son's heart problem has now more or less been sorted/healed but the earlier issues have raised my trust levels in God. A few times I have found myself in the right place at the right time through none of my planning.

I am now trying to learn to trust God's plan for me and my family, which is hard as I like to be in control, but in the long term will be infinitely better.