Who’s Plan Is It?

Decisions, decisions… what do I wear today, what do I want for breakfast, what do I HAVE to do today, what do I WANT to do today? We are faced with hundreds of decisions every single day: some decisions are easy, some take a little time, others can be overwhelming. As adults, we have made multitudes of decisions where we have had to deal with the consequences of our choice, but we are expected to make an important lifelong decision at about 17 years old after people ask us at every stage of adolescence, “what do you want to do when you grow up?”

Is the rhetoric in your house “if” you go the college, or “when” you go to college? Is it two years of community college then a four year college? Is it local or out of state? How can you pay for it? How about a trade? What about internships? And then when you look at people who have gone through all the decisions making the best choices they could at the same age, are they really happy with their jobs and lives? Parents say, do what you love! But do they love what they do? You spend more time at a job with other people than you do at home awake with your family. It’s a huge part of your life, so how do you decide? And once you decide, can you change your mind later?

I visited The Closet by A Beautiful Me recently, and I was able to witness something incredible. A young volunteer told me that her mom “made” her volunteer. It was not her decision, but she did need volunteer hours for school. She didn’t want to do it of her own free will, and she has only been there a short time when we met. As we were talking, she said how great this experience has been so far, it makes her think and work outside her comfort zone (even wearing a dress is more comfortable now) and that already she is learning so much. She showed me her project, and as she was talking, a young family was in the store listening to us. They were so excited to hear about the learning/growing process that they came to her and said, “If you could have anything in the store, what would it be?” She hesitated, because she volunteers there and doesn’t look at it as a “shopping experience”, but she showed them some jewelry and they gifted her a necklace along with a donation to the store. The look on her face was priceless. She was astonished and flattered, but also humbled by the gift. An experience like this could definitely sway her decision making process in the future. The value of real life experience, positive feedback, and kind guidance is value beyond what money can give.

If you are making important decisions, volunteer to help in whatever area you are interested in. Most volunteers will tell you they feel they get more out of it than what they put in. Try talking to people you admire and see what they did. Try to quiet your mind and listen to what God’s plan is for you. Looking back at my own life, I can say that everything happened exactly the way it needed to, even when I couldn’t see it at the time. God’s plan is perfect, even when we question it.