– Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid ~ Goethe
God provides us with all the tools we need, and He equipped us to take care of ourselves.
Here’s the rub:
Life doesn’t always turn out the way we’d planned.
Sometimes, things just aren’t meant to be.
You can plead, plot, plan, scheme, scam, beg, coerce, cajole, fixate…and it just doesn’t happen.
It’s a bitter pill to swallow.
God’s will may sometimes seem harsh, but it’s important to remember He has a plan, and His plan is good. The brutal truth is, God’s plan is rarely convenient, or neatly coincides with what I want.
However, no matter how disappointing or awful things may appear, they always seem to turn out okay.
God provides an escape clause, commonly known as Plan B.
Those of us in recovery are no doubt familiar with the old adage, ”We make plans and God laughs.”
If there’s any truth to that, I’ve provided God with endless hours of amusement.
If your life didn’t turn out exactly as you’d planned, it doesn’t make you a failure.
You’re only a failure if you stop trying.
You are stronger and more resilient than you’ll ever know.
Case in point:
Rick was my barber for 17 years.
He was a plain, ol’ regular guy; low keyed and funny in a folksy kind of way.
His barbershop, “The Cutup”, was located next to a bowling alley in downtown Hyannis.
A sign on the wall read:
‘God made only so many perfect heads. The rest he covered with hair’.
Any time my imperfect head needed a trim, I went to Rick’s.
He’d walk around me with scissors and a comb, and do his thing while we had a little chat.
He made it look easy and effortless, and I got a great haircut.
No doubt about it, the man was an artist.
I was dismayed when he closed up shop and moved on to greener pastures.
He had bad feet, and just couldn’t hack all the standing the job required.
As time passed, I lost track of Rick, and I found a new barber.
Years later, I ran into Rick at a local Prudential office, and he was flourishing as an Insurance agent.
Instead of his casual barber garb (which was the only thing I’d seen him wearing all those years), he was now smartly clad in a fine, tailored suit.
He was setting all sorts of sales records, winning awards and crushing it. He was a sales champ.
Rick now had a different demeanor and a serious, professional vibe:
He’d totally reinvented himself, and embraced the persona of a financial services businessman.
Although cutting hair was his first love, he knew when it was time to cut bait.
As it turned out, his Plan B was vastly more successful and fulfilling.
I admire people who have the sense to recognize God’s will, the courage to try something new, and the faith to see it through.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of living in an intolerable situation, because it’s easier than changing, and it’s at least familiar.
Me?
I always wanted to be Hugh Hefner, hanging around the Playboy Mansion in my pajamas, surrounded by gorgeous women.
That wasn’t meant to be.
Instead, I’m sitting here writing this…stuff.
I’d never planned on a life of sobriety, and I certainly never anticipated blogging about it.
As usual, I’m giving God a good laugh.
HERE’S THE TAKEAWAY:
There are just too many unforeseen and uncontrollable variables in life. What you lack in control, you can make up for in faith.
God lovingly watches over us, and he doesn’t expect perfection.
He just wants us to show up, and do our best.
Having the Serenity to accept the things you cannot change is good.
Having the Courage to change what you can is great.
But possessing the Wisdom to know the difference is everything.