Brighten Your Day

I was a Sophomore in High School and I dreamed of being a football star. During my Freshman year I had been a skinny and scrawny boy who barely weighed 120 pounds. I had played some but spent most of my time on the bench. But over the Summer I had planned to change that. I had bought a set of free weights and found a special diet that body builders used to bulk up. Drinking a lot of whole milk and lifting weights every day had added an extra 25 pounds of muscle to my frame. By the time football season started I felt ready. I was soon disappointed, though, when I saw that I was still smaller, slower, and less athletic than most of the other boys. I found myself on the bench again.

That was to change during one of our first games of the season. We had built up a lead and the coach felt secure enough to send me in for a while to play halfback. I was so excited. I was so ready to prove myself. On the very first play I got the call. The center snapped the ball to the quarterback who handed off to me. Our offensive line opened a huge hole and I ran towards it. Dreams of scoring a touchdown and being a hero raced through my head. God had other plans, however. The hole quickly closed and I found myself being hit by two linebackers and a safety. They crashed me to the ground hard. I got up woozily and walked off the field and back to the bench.

Over the years I have lost count of how many times I have schemed, dreamed, and prayed for something in my life only to find out that God had other plans. For a long time I really resented this, but as the years went by I finally realized that maybe just maybe God's plans for me were better than my plans for myself.

There is an old Yiddish Proverb that goes "Man plans and God laughs." Maybe it is time that we stop planning so much and join in the laughter. God loves us all so much. Shouldn't we all then seek to find out His plans for us instead of always forcing our plans on Him? Open your heart today to God's love, God's wisdom, and God's plans for you. Let His light guide you as you go through each day and you will fill your life with love, kindness, and joy. What better plan could there be than that?