“‘For I know the plans I have you,’ declares…..”. Funny how when I took this to be my life verse some time in high school; I never knew how often I would try to rewrite it to say  “declares me”.  I had my life mapped out from the time I was old enough to figure out what life was supposed to be.

I’d make best friends in elementary school that I would have in my wedding. High school (social and academic) would be a breeze; driving at 16, graduating by 18 , and going away to college.  I’d major in elementary ed, but I’d be heavily involved in anying singing/ acting related.

At college I’d meet the man of my dreams; it would be love at first sight.  We would marry right after college and have our first child by our second year of marriage. By 30, I would have 3.5 perfect chldren, an ideal marriage, family all around us, the PERFECT life.  Well if you have read this far I know you are laughing at my naivety to it all, but I’d planned it all out, prayed about it, and God said he would give me the desires of my heart, SO….

SO nothing!  God says “For I know!“. In other words, “Sarah, you know nothing just follow me I’ll get you there.”  In between my third and fourth grade years, we moved from Florida to Missouri; there went the best friends I’d be with forever.

High school social life was….well, not a breeze, didn’t drive til 18.  I did graduate, but college was a 15 minute drive from home.

Elementary Ed was my major, but other then a year in choir my acting and singing fell by the wayside.  Turns out the man of my dreams was not love at first sight (it’s okay he knows it, and the feeling was mutual).  By college graduation, our relationship had grown to a “tolerated acquaintance” so no wedding bells.

I wasn’t married til 25, and our first child did not arrive until our third year of marriage.  I turned 30 with only one child and prayers for another; my children are not perfect, neither are I or my spouse (I can hear the gasps of shock).

Mostly our family is around us, but we have had to mourn the loss of one parent.  MY perfect life….yeah, that didn’t happen.

SO what have I learned….that the Author of my life is not be limited by my own drawn up blueprints.  His ways are not my own, and what my vision of perfect was…..was way off base!  Life is not perfect, but I am not perfect.  However, my life has been perfectly planned out by hands more skilled than mine.

In His omniscience, He has given me the perfect life, and I would not trade a moment of it.  Each trial and triumph has shaped me and will continue to do so if I stop trying to “declare” my own plans.