There’s an old saying that probably bears repeating. It says: “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plan.” For the record, I don’t think God laughs at our struggles, disappointments, etc., but there is a core truth here. Life is really unpredictable, but the bigger question is how will we handle the unpredictable things that happen in our world.
This week, one of those things happened, I lost a dear friend, and I’m his pastor, so that means I need to officiate his funeral. Funerals are hard, because they are such a dichotomy. My friend was one of those joyful people, just an all around a phenomenal person, and I will miss him, a lot. It will be a sad day, but on the other hand, my friend was the kind of person who touched and blessed a lot of lives and a lot of people, and so I choose to celebrate the fact that God put him into my life and gave me the privilege of being his friend. I will not see him every Sunday, and that will be hard, but He loved Jesus and so I know I will see him again. There will be sadness and joy all rolled into one, and one of the things we all need to do is accept that that is okay.
Doing a funeral was not in my plans for this week, and neither was losing a friend, but I count it a privilege to serve my friend and his family, and my prayer is that I can keep my composure and honor him and the God we both serve. I called this post plans, because there is something that we all need to remember. God is good in the unpredictable times of life. I know He will make a way to accomplish all that is before me this week. God is good in any and all situations, the ones that bring us joy and the ones that make us sad, and sometimes both of those things happen at the same time. I’ll miss you my friend, but I rejoice that I will see you again.
Sometimes life changes our plans, and I don’t think God laughs when it does. Rather I think God holds us in the hard times. He is faithful in all things. Trust Him with your plans and with your life. Hold your plans loosely and God tightly. He will make a way.
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