Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future

Hey there! My name’s Ginger of Edye + Ethel Designs, and I’m so pumped to be the first guest blogger for She Captivates Movement’s blog.

I want to chat with you about my favorite Bible verse. And what is that verse?

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Now before you write me off for choosing a really commonly used verse:

1. No piece of Scripture is overused, over-taught, or cheesy… It’s literally all the Word of God. So keep reading.

2. I know that this is something that’s talked about a lot this time of year with graduations, but hopefully I can give you a fresh spin on a verse you already love and know!

So here we go!

If you are a micro-manager planner like me, raise your little emoji praise hands!!!

Living life as a Christian in the technology age of micro-management can be overwhelming at times. If you’re not three steps ahead on your life plan, you feel a million steps behind. And I get that. I’m like the #1 worst at trying to plan my children’s lives for them, and I don’t even have kids yet!!!!

But seriously… Everyone has a plan.

I mean, think about it! For my small business there is a strict business PLAN. For my teaching job there is a lesson PLAN. For our finances there is a retirement PLAN. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner there is a meal PLAN. I have a day PLANNER that I literally cannot get through an hour of my day without checking. Heck, there are even plans for plans and back-up plans and 5-10 year plans… It never ends.

And if you let yourself get all caught up in those plans that you’re planning for yourself, you can really miss out on some fun. And you can really get tough on yourself when your plans don’t happen the way you think they should. Or at least I know that I do.

I have loved and known this verse for years, but in different seasons of my life it’s meant very different things.

When I was first introduced to it, I was in middle or high school and had so many big dreams and plans for myself. For this reason, I think the hope and future mentioned

in Jeremiah was very “me” focused. I focused on the prospering of ME. The safety of ME. And the hope and future… for ME. And then guess what? My plans totally got destroyed…

And it was the best thing that ever happened to me!

I had dreamed of moving to NYC, starting a career in show biz, and marrying my high school sweetheart. PRAISE JESUS that none of those dreams came to be realities for me! Otherwise, I never would have known the career that fills me with so much passion and joy or married the man that loves me so unconditionally (and is really super fine too)! God changed my plans by offering me something sweeter, better, & closer to His heart.

“For I know the plans I have for YOU,” declares the Lord.”

{Emphasis on who the plan is created by (the Creator of all things) and who the plan is for (little ol’ me).}

God has the plan. It’s for me. But it’s not MY plan. It’s not Ginger-written. Goodness knows that I’m not all knowing. But He is. And it’s His plan to mold and shape and form in order to give me my best.

In other words, I don’t own my life and my future… He does.

And while this may sound simple and easy to follow, I’m a human. So here’s where my train of thought goes:

“I have a plan! Like a really, really good one this time. And God’s with me always, of course. I mean, He knows that my plans are good, so obviously it’s His plan too. Wait, what? It’s not working out the way I planned???? Well then 1. It must not have been God’s plan at all or 2. I messed up God’s plan. Well, great… Now God has to write me a new plan.”

WHAT?! That’s makes zero sense. And do you know why?? It’s because that ENTIRE train of thought is still “me” centered. I’m still claiming ownership over a plan that doesn’t belong to me. Remember, it’s His FOR me, but that doesn’t make it mine to own.

Instead, here is some truth.

1. Sometimes God’s plan is to say “no” to our plans. That means that sometimes the best plan for us will be a closed door. A “wrong turn” in our opinion may very well be putting us on the path that leads to something awesome and God honoring. A “no” doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a part of God’s plan. “No” is a part of every great plan just as much as “yes” is!

2. We can’t mess up the story God is writing for us if we are following Him. If we put our trust in Him, we can be assured that we’re not going to be led astray. But here’s the second part of that… We as followers of Christ need to be receptive and faithful to His plans for us because He wants us as co-authors of our life’s story. Our God isn’t a God that dictates our every move. He is a God of creativity. A God of passion and desire. So the things that are important to us are important to Him FOR us as well.

3. Trusting God’s plan for us requires us to be gracious toward ourselves. Wrong turns in life will happen. Circumstances will change and season will come and go, but God is always gracious toward us. Our God is full of grace and mercy, even if we stray. We really do owe it to ourselves to also be kind and gentle when the plans we think are for us don’t happen exactly as we hoped they would. {The perfectionist in me reeeeeeally struggles with this one…}

In all of those truths, there’s one common thread: God is FOR us.

His plans are for us.

His heart is for us.

His grace is for us.

If there’s one take-away from all of the words I’ve said, it would be that.

Yours plans are safe in your Heavenly Father’s hands, even if that means that they look differently from what you always expected them to look like. Don’t sweat about the details, pretty lady, because His work in you is going to be something beautiful to behold. Truly embrace who your Heavenly Father is and know that He has a plan.

And it’s just for you.