It's All in the Plan

 Have you ever made plans, and it worked out exactly as you planned it? Have you ever made plans, and it didn't work out like you thought it would? Have you ever made plans that didn't work the way you thought it would, but it turned out even better than you thought?! We may be able to answer yes to one or all of the questions above. Plans can be defined as a set of intended actions designed in advance to achieve a goal. Life has taught me that plans can be made, but they are subject to change. Making plans can be good, but we also have to be open to be flexible and adjust as needed. Today, I want to remind us that God has a plan for each and every one of our lives 😊. He sees and knows everything. He's been with us every step of the way and will continue to be with us 💗. In the Bible, I want to take us to journey through the book of Exodus where we find that God had a plan for a man by the name of Moses. In Exodus 1:22, we see Pharoah (leader of Egypt at the time) giving an order that all the boys must be thrown into the Nile River, but the girls could live. Right there, we see Pharoah trying to stop the plans for all boys' lives, but God had the final say when it came to Moses. I'm so glad He has the final say in our lives too 💗! In Exodus 2, we see Moses being born and how they had to hide them for 3 months and then she put him in a basket in the Nile River. Meanwhile, Moses' sister would watch from a distance. Pharoah's daughter found him and gave him back to his mother for a time before going back to live with Pharoah's daughter (v. 8-10). When Moses grew up, he saw his people being mistreated and took a man's life over it (v. 11-12). Moses eventually got married and had a son (v. 21-22). Then we see in Exodus 3, Moses is taking care of the flock of animals and doing his daily routine when he has a special encounter with God. God speaks to him from a burning bush! It definitely gets Moses' attention (v.3). I know it would have gotten my attention too! He even called Moses' name twice. God had seen what His people were suffering through in Egypt, and he tells Moses he is sending him to Pharoah to bring his people out (v.10). In spite of Moses' early life and past, God still had a plan for Moses 💗! That's good to know because He still has a plan for our life regardless of our past and flaws/weaknesses we have. Moses goes on to ask questions (as many of us would have probably done!) and let God know he didn't speak well. God already knew that of course, but He still wanted to use Moses in his plan to let his people go in Egypt. God tells him he will help him speak and would send his brother Aaron with him. Moses does visit Egypt to see Pharoah. It doesn't happen right away, but eventually Pharoah does let God's people go. Just like God had a plan for Moses, He has a plan for us 💗. God has good works intentionally planned for us (Ephesians 2:10). Think about your job, school, college, community, family, friends, and church. Think about how God could use you in those areas 😊. We all have a gift or talent. He wants us to help, encourage, support, be kind, and speak to others in an uplifting way. We can all be a positive role model and let our light shine 💛.  In each day we live, we're living out God's plan for us. No, sometimes plans don't work out the way we want. In those moments (in all moments really!), we should pray and ask God to help us. Then, sometimes plans work out just right or even better than we thought. Proverbs 16:9 says, "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." Remember, God knows what we need. It's all in the plan! May God continue to bless you 😊!!