Planning Ahead

One of the perks of being a "pastor" is that people like to send you free stuff. Free books, free samples of Bible studies, free videos. Usually, this all goes to the senior pastor. Thankfully, my supervisor/the senior pastor of my internship congregation is a generous guy. Yesterday I got the chance to see a preview screening of the movie "Evan Almighty." It doesn't come out till the end of June but they were looking to promote it to churches and pastors in the area. I enjoyed it and had some good laughs.

My favorite part of the movie was a scene in which Evan (Steve Carrell) is talking with God (Morgan Freeman). Evan is a newly elected Congressman and is looking to make an impact and "change the world." God wants Evan to build an ark. Of course, Evan is not happy about this and protests telling God, "I have a plan for my life!" In response, God starts laughing hysterically.

I watched this part and couldn't help thinking that Evan was me and that God was still God, laughing hysterically at the "plans" I have for my future. I learned a long time ago to not make long term plans when it came to my life. I thought about becoming a high school biology/environmental science teacher originally and I ended up going to seminary to become a youth pastor. I thought I should do my internship in Las Vegas and I ended up in Charlotte instead. Now here I am, finally thinking I know where next year is going to head at seminary. But it's not that simple. My future does not necessarily depend on my decisions but instead depends on the decisions of those around me. And someone's impending decision is about to throw my plans up in the air once again. Of course, this all could be a fluke and the decision could end up shifting the original way but it's still an open window that was a week ago firmly locked shut.

Despite all the ambiguity of the situation, I am grateful for God's hand in my life. After all, God's plans are usually much grander and well thought out than our own plans for our lives. I think of Peter, Andrew, James and John who probably were content to be career fishermen and instead found themselves as followers of Jesus and leaders of the Christian church. I think of my original plan to work with high schoolers through the school system and instead find myself being able to work with them on a whole different level, one that suits me better than leading from a classroom and not being able to express the most important part of my life, my faith. And now I find myself facing my future or at least, this upcoming school year, knowing that something big will happen, wherever I may find myself. And I trust that God will lead the way to wherever it is that I need to be.