When Things Go Wrong, What Goes Right?

I keep a small card in my car that says, “Everything is going exactly as planned, it’s just not our plan.”

When my son dropped me off at the airport on the way to my conference in Michigan, that card was the last thing I looked at. It prepared me for the unplanned: mechanical problems, lost luggage, missed connecting flights, and that was just the first day. Returning four days later, there were more cancelled flights, 16 hours at O’Hare Airport overnight, closed food courts, and it was cold. I arrived home 50 hours later than planned. Awful!

However, here’s what happened as a result of those delays, cancellations, etc. Upon my arrival, instead of going to my room and unpacking, I enjoyed an evening nature walk with eight people I would not have met had my luggage arrived. As a result of our nighttime stroll, one of my new friends offered to drive me to the nearest Walmart at 9 pm to pick up essentials like jammies, a toothbrush, deodorant, and several fresh t-shirts, in case my luggage never arrived. We enjoyed sweet fellowship, which we would have missed if everything had gone as planned.

When my flight home was delayed, I had time to hear the final keynote speaker, a message I did not want to miss. Then, just as I was leaving the hotel for the airport, the airline notified me my flight had been cancelled altogether. I was now rescheduled for 7 am the next morning. The hotel manager showed me mercy and offered me a room at half price. When my morning flight was cancelled, I now had all of Sunday free before heading to the airport for a 7:30 pm flight to Chicago. During the day, I enjoyed deep conversations, connections, and fellowship with two different groups of women whom I had not met during the conference. It was so rich that five of us are now on a text thread, and another has encouraged me to join her in Myrtle Beach for a writer’s retreat.

There were other gifts and blessings while waiting at the airport. I met a 15-year-old who was headed to St. Jude’s Hospital for cancer treatment. As we talked, I assured her of God’s love and encouraged her as she faces a challenging journey. A meal voucher was offered to me by a new airline when my original airline had no more flights to my final destination. And my sweet son assured me he would pick me up anywhere in California if I could get to my home state.

Arriving home, I was exhausted. But, I would do it all again to experience the spiritual bond formed with new friends in those unexpected and unseen hours. It is easy to miss the surprise encounters when we are disappointed and tired. However small they may seem, these blessings serve as essential reminders that God often has plans that are not our plans. His plans aren’t always easy, but they are always good when we surrender to Him and offer praise and thanksgiving.

Blessings,

Personal Parable Questions

Am I struggling today with an unexpected change of plans?
How can I surrender my disappointment to God?
Will I choose to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving when life does not unfold as I expected?

Prayer

Father, help me to accept with grace and thanksgiving events and plans that don’t line up with my expectations. It is so easy for me to dwell on my disappointments rather than receiving your surprise gifts and encounters resulting from the change or delay of my plans. Don’t let me miss your blessings. Thank you for reminding me that you are in the unexpected moments. I am never alone or forgotten. Amen.