Today’s message is from Pastor Pam Sutherland of the St. Paul United Methodist Church & Fort Gibson United Methodist Church.

Years ago, when my children were growing up and life was a bit chaotic, my mom came for a visit. I don’t remember what we had been doing that day but when 6:oo o’clock rolled around she asked, “Where’s supper?” I was a bit startled and said, “What do you mean?” With ball games and other after school activities we didn’t have a set supper time, we just ate when we had the chance. She said that 6:00 o’clock was supper time and we should be eating now. I remember thinking how regimented she was, expecting me to just stop what I was doing and prepare a meal to eat at 6 o’clock sharp.

Fast forward 30 years or so and I am around the age my mother was during that visit. I realize that I have become rather regimented myself. I have a routine. Supper is almost always at 6:00 pm. My days and weeks are planned out so that I know what must be done each day to stay on top of things. I get a little anxious if something interrupts that schedule and causes me to rearrange my to-do list. Could it be that I am a bit of a control freak?

We’ve all had those times haven’t we? We make plans but then something comes up that derails the plan, and we get anxious, stressed, worried that all those “important” things won’t get done.  

Proverbs 16:9 says, “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.”

Perhaps when interruptions and delays happen, we should think about how God’ might be determining our steps at that moment. Is God preventing you from something that might harm you? Is God setting you up for a blessing? Think about those times when you were delayed in leaving, upset and worried, only to realize that had you left at the time you intended, you may have been involved in the crash you passed. Or the time you were in a hurry in that slow checkout at the store, anxious to get where you were going, and the person in line with you struck up a conversation and you came away with a blessing from that interaction. 

Another version of Proverbs 16:9 says, “We make our own plans, but the Lord decides where we will go.” Since God always has our very best in mind, maybe I ought to stop getting so anxious when my plans are delayed, or fall through altogether, and trust that He is determining my steps, and deciding where I will go so that I might experience His love and goodness in new ways. 

Blessings,

Pastor Pam