Be Interruptible.
Have you ever planned or scheduled something and it didn’t go the way you intended it? How did you react? With frustration? Anger? Bitterness? Anxiety? Trust me, I’ll be the first to say that I can get a little annoyed when things don’t go as planned. But the reality is this: plans change. The market takes a turn. You lose your job. You don’t receive the scholarship you wanted. A storm cloud pops up out of nowhere. You get a flat tire on the highway. Life is such...and we usually don’t like it.
But let’s be honest, when does anything really go 100% according to plan? Hardly ever. I believe most of the time there’s probably going to be a change in your plans. Why? Because God has a tendency to interrupt our lives. (Hint: Look no further than the last two years!)
Recently, I was in Dallas, TX for a speaking engagement. It was supposed to be a quick trip, in and out. The event went great (people from Texas are so nice!) and I was really looking forward to getting home to see my beautiful wife and our three fur babies! But God had different plans. Our flight got cancelled at the last moment, forcing us to stay overnight. Not ideal.
At that moment, I had a few options. I could either stay frustrated and go to bed grumpy OR our team could make the most of the situation. We picked the second option. We immediately reached out to several of our closest TTF friends in Dallas and was able to meet up with one of the families the next morning! And I’m so glad we did! We had an amazing day full of stories, great food, and lots of laughter. It was totally worth every second and I knew this was why God wanted us here.
Part of having a Mission Mindset is saying “God, I’m ok when you interrupt my plans.” It’s a mindset that not only accepts change, but welcomes it. Proverbs 16:9 says, “The mind of a person plans his way. But the Lord directs his steps.”
Does God direct your steps? Do you give Him access to rearranging your calendar? When things get out of order, are you asking the question, “Okay God, what are you up to here?”
I’ll tell you what, I’m so grateful for all the times it didn’t go my way, or the way I had planned it, or even the way I thought it was going to go. Because of God’s ‘interruptions,’ I’ve been able to experience far more than I could’ve ever imagined. See, when you say yes to what God wants, I truly believe it's going to be better than anything you could have planned.
In the big and small, in the grocery store or at a stop light, a Mission Mindset is tuning into the voice of God, and being willing to move wherever, whenever, and for whoever.
So, Next time there’s a hiccup when executing your game plan, instead of being frustrated, look around and see how you can make the most of it. It might not be according to your plan, but it might be according to God’s plan.
Go create a life that counts,
Timmy
Sneak peak @ next Monday: N - Now |
