Plans to Prosper
by Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes
(Jeremiah 29:11, NIV).
I adore having my grandson for sleepovers. I look forward to these weekends as one of my most precious times. My family understands that I’m no longer an adult with responsibilities and deadlines when Zayne visits. Instead, I become the overgrown playmate of an energetic six-year-old. We race, play tag, baseball, and hide and seek. The evening usually ends with Zayne’s favorite board game of “Sorry,” where I am doomed to lose to a smack-talking first grader.
While my grandson and I enjoy many activities together, he constantly asks, “Grandma, what’s the plan?” He poses the question as if making sure I haven’t forgotten to weave him into our home schedule. When I explain the plan, he sometimes responds, “I don’t think that sounds like much fun.”
Regardless, Zayne’s experiences in my home will benefit him as he continues to grow and develop. He prefers some activities more than others. While he loves to win games, he dislikes cleaning up toys and putting things where they belong. He also doesn’t enjoy reviewing his schoolwork or working on reading and writing. And he hates to lose.
Like my grandson, I also hate losing. Sometimes I ask God, “What’s the plan now?”
I wonder if God’s forgotten me after receiving a rejection from a proposal. When I enter a tough season in my writing life, I tell God, “This is not fun.”
Though we may feel confused and unsure by our circumstances, nothing thwarts God’s purposes for our lives. Tough lessons, times of review, and rejection often daunt our writing journey. But when we trust God, He fills our lives with experiences that benefit us as we grow and develop in our craft, and in our walk of faith.
We build a legacy for God’s glory when we trust his plan to give us hope and a future.
Father, thank you in advance for empowering me to trust in your plans to prosper me and not harm me. Please fill me with patience and a teachable spirit, knowing that you have my future in your perfect plan. Shape me into an author with powerful words through which you will bless whomever you have intended. Please help me through seasons of discouragement and fill me with faith equipping me for each season. Amen.
Katherine is a counselor, consultant, author, and owns an event-planning business. Her art and writing are distinguished by awards including the New York Mayor’s Contribution to the Arts, Outstanding Resident Artist of Arizona, and Foundations Awards at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer’s Conference. Katherine loves speaking to groups, delivering messages with quick wit and real-life stories. Connect at https://godslittleblackdress.com/ or https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Little-Black-Dress-Women/dp/1365056163
What an encouraging word for today! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for reminding me of God’s encouragement and blessings through your excellent writing.
Thanks for sharing this lovely story and life application. Well done!