At least this is better than the days of pretend play.
This is what I told myself as I was setting up the game board and reading the complicated instructions. My oldest son turned eleven this summer and had asked for the game “Risk” for his birthday. Knowing only that it took ages to play, I cringed inwardly as he unwrapped this present.
He brought the box to me a few days later while visiting my in-laws in Michigan. We got started so late, however, that all we had time for was to set it up and each take one turn. I sent him off to bed promising him that we’d leave the game out and finish the next day.
The next day, our plans were thwarted by a cat intent on world domination. Not really, but my in-laws’ cat chose the worst place to nap: right on top of our armies, her tail knocking out our soldiers.
Our good intentions and well-laid plans get thwarted all the time—sometimes by circumstances we can’t control, and sometimes by our own doing:
Your car breaks down. Your kid gets sick on your family vacation. Your dream job falls through. You get an unexpected diagnosis. You get a rejection letter. A relationship ends.
Or…
You’re running late. There are unexpected messes to clean up. You have to cancel on a friend. You yelled at your kids. You didn’t get to that one important thing on your list.
Whether you’re reflecting on your day or your season of life, sometimes you look around and think: this is not what I’d hoped or planned for.
I’ve written a lot about intentional living and prioritizing in my first book but I’m learning that the line between agency and acceptance is sometimes thin. There is wisdom in knowing the difference between what we can and cannot control.
It was simple and straightforward to restart our game of Risk. It’s not so easy to course-correct on a bigger scale. It can be hard and painful work to let go of our thwarted plans and dashed expectations, but we know that God is walking through it with us:
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed on you, because they trust in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)
What might you need to let go of today? Can you trust God’s presence to bring you peace?
Something I wrote: Have you seen the Barbie movie? There’s been lots of commentary about it, but my absolute favorite scene is a short and overlooked one. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I wrote more about it (no spoilers): What the Best Scene in the Barbie Movie Reveals About God’s Good News.
Something I read and loved: The Kingdom Comes First by Laura Kelly Fanucci was beautiful, and so relatable. Especially this part: “Humans get hung up on God’s will. Of course we do, obsessed with our own power and plans, our knowledge and needs. God’s will looms as a barrier to our own. What must I surrender in order to be good or right? How can I make cosmic stars align with my own desires?”
Something I listened to: Hug the Cactus: Embracing Change with Krista and Alex from the Our Time to Rise podcast. I loved this discussion so much, I had to rewind some parts of it and listen to it again! This was a great conversation about the painful and prickly parts of change (even good changes!) and how to embrace it all.
Something I’m cooking: Confession—I love recipes with the word “lazy” in the title! This 3-ingredient Lazy Lasagna is easy because it starts with ravioli instead of fussy lasagna noodles!
Are you weighed down by disappointment and discouragement? Do you want to change and transform the way you think about your disappointments? This free e-book from my friend Hadassah dives deeper into the topic. You will learn about the role of our expectations, desires, rights, and needs, as well as the role of false beliefs, and will find out biblical steps to overcome disappointment and discouragement. Click here to get it into your e-mail box today!
Hadassah Treu is an international Christian author, blogger, and poet, the Encouraging Blogger Award Winner of 2020. She is passionate about encouraging people on the journey of faith and a deeper walk with God. Hadassah is a contributing author to several faith-based platforms and award-winning devotional and poetry anthologies. You can connect with Hadassah on her blog.
Until next time,