Wisdom from the Word

Wisdom from the Word #16 - 1/01/2025

The year is changing. For many, it will bring little to no change—it will be yet another day. For others, new resolutions abound, but most will fall flat, and the goals will be missed. In our community, it marks the end of an era and a new beginning, with International Paper closing its doors here in Georgetown. With all this going on, I cannot help but be reminded that God is in control.

In other words, God’s plans will always transpire regardless of what plans man makes. Now, some might hear that and think, “What is the point of planning then?” While I understand that sentiment, it misses out on the responsibility of people if you do not make plans. It would be better to understand that a few things are required of us.

If you are anything like me, especially early in my ministry life, the danger of planning is that you like to make plans and stick to them. The rigidness of those plans is binding, and you do not want to move an inch off those plans.

I recall an instance in ministry where the team and I had worked hard to craft groups to put friends together for a Discipleship Weekend event. The weekend arrived, and groups were set. Yet, there was an issue. A young girl was not with her friends; she was not a church member and didn’t want to stay if she wasn’t with her friend group. The largest issue for me was that the girl was a grade younger and I did not want to open the door for other kids wanting to change groups to be with friends in different grades. I was so focused on the plans that we had made that I took out of the equation what God was doing.

One of my team members advocated hard for why the girl should be moved to the other class. I was still resistant to the idea because of the rules. But my team’s thoughts and passions are important. With reluctance, I talked to one of our deacons and asked his opinion if it was worth the risk of others wanting to do the same. He said I think you can easily justify her but not others since she is new and isn’t a church member. The fact is, I was missing what God was doing at that moment. I was allowing our man-made plans to stand in the way of an opportunity for a young girl to be made comfortable so she could be in a position to be receptive to the gospel.

That same girl would give her life to Jesus that weekend. My team members were sensitive and flexible to what God was doing, while I was rigid and plan-driven. It is so much better to be flexible to what God is doing than to be rigid in man’s plans. Another thing: we had been praying and seeking the Lord for wisdom through the whole process; it wasn’t from a lack of prayer beforehand. The key is being flexible even amid plans that have been prayed over.

Personally, I know that I love to plan and craft systems. However, one of the most significant lessons I learned from that Discipleship Weekend was the beauty of trusting God’s plans are better than mine. That event helped me learn to trust my team in ways I’d never thought were possible. It taught me the incredible encouragement we can receive when we trust God, even when planning goes off the rails, and we end up with something far different than we ever intended.

I was called to the pastorate as a college student; I did not plan to be in student ministry when I first felt the call to preach. I had planned to graduate from college and go straight to being a pastor. As graduation neared, I realized that was not God’s plan. In fact, I graduated and started selling cars for a Toyota dealership that didn’t last long. Then, I ended up in an internship at a sister church; I learned a lot there and thought I was well on my way to being the Pastor God called me to be, but what had the potential to be a full-time role never materialized. I ended up at a Medical device company. With a film and video production degree, I thought I had misheard God. So I began planning to get my MBA to start my track to being in business management and would do maybe bi-vocational work or serve faithfully in my church home. Then, I felt the Lord’s prompting again; I stopped being concerned with what title or what location I would serve; instead, my life was a blank check. I would follow God’s leading and his plans.

It took me being flexible for God to open the door for my first student pastor role. I would ultimately serve in four churches in Next Gen roles before he would ultimately call me to enter the Senior Pastor role. I have been in my church for essentially a month. I am truly blessed to be here in this role. It feels surreal and almost dreamlike. God has taken me on a journey far different than the plans I drew up. However, it is the perfect plan He would have my family follow. The journey has been proven hard, with some incredible lows; also, it has proven joyous, with incredible highs. Yet, no matter what tomorrow holds, I would not want any other path than the one God has laid before us. Because I know God’s plans are better than any dream I can dream.

So, as this new year approaches, I want to encourage you to trust Jesus to see you through each day and remain flexible as He adjusts your path in life.