Does God really have a plan?

You want to know the beautiful thing about Facebook?  There's something for everyone.  There's gun lovers pages and pages for fitness gurus and pages for moms and pages for anything and everything under the sun.  It's an incredible way to connect with others like yourself.

For me, this includes being a part of groups specifically for military wives at Fort Drum and groups for those, like myself, that suffer with infertility.

I've learned so much information from these groups.  I'm thankful for them in a number of ways.  I'm also challenged greatly from these groups, specifically those dealing with infertility.

A few days ago on one of these pages, a conversation was started surrounding people's belief in God.  I would say the overall consensus was that these women did believe in God but did not believe in Him having a plan or that our lives are in His hands.

This of course got me to thinking, and so now I pose this question to you.

Here's my thoughts.  And for what it's worth, I've struggled with this greatly over the last two years since I suffered my first and only miscarriage.

God does have a plan.  I don't doubt this.  I know this to be true because it says in Jeremiah 29:11, 

"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. "

That's how I know God has a plan for me.

So then why is it that you have a group of women who seemingly believe in God say they don't believe in His plan or even get offended when someone tells them it's (having a baby) in His timing??

Well.  I have an idea.  But it's probably not a popular one.  

We want God's plan to be, to line up, with what we want, not what He wants.

We have this idea in our minds of how our lives should go.  The things we want, the things we don't want.  The age we should get married, the number of kids we should have, the illnesses we should or shouldn't have to deal with, maybe even the age we live to or how we die.  We plan our lives down to the smallest little thing.  

So what happens when we don't get married at the age we wanted?  What happens if we end up with only two kids instead of the 'perfect' three?  What happens if instead of living a long healthy life, we find out suddenly we have cancer?  

What if our plan is not what God's plan is?

What if God says no to marriage?

What if God says no to kids?

What if God says no to a long healthy life?  

What if God's plan says no when your plan says yes?

Do you still believe? 

Do you still believe that there is a God and that that same God does have a plan for your life?  

Do you?  

I've wrestled with this many, many times myself.

All my life I've dreamt of getting married and having kids.  

I've dreamt of Christmas morning when the kids wake up and see their gifts under the tree.

I've dreamt of family vacations full of laughter and fun.

I've dreamt of asking my kids how their day of school was, even if their response is always, "fine."  

This is the plan I've had.  

But is it God's plan?

Maybe.  But maybe not.  

Maybe God's plan doesn't include those Christmas mornings or vacations or after school chats.

But maybe God's plan is better.

I can say with 100% certainty that I wouldn't be who I am if I hadn't suffered a miscarriage, if I hadn't struggled for the last two years with infertility.  I wouldn't be who I am.  And I also know, without a doubt, that I'm a better person because of it.

So can I accept that God's plan might not be my plan?  

Yes.  I can.  Most days.  

Because I've seen God's faithfulness in my life even, and especially when, my plan was not the same as His plan.  I've seen how He's worked in my life even, and especially when, my plan was not the same as His plan. 

So what if God's plan says no when your plan says yes?  

Do you still believe?