In the literary world, Plan B is all the rage. People upon people (women’s group, blogs, Church members) love this book! So since I hate being left out of anything, I checked it out for myself and I have not been disappointed one bit!! Pastor Pete (this is how my friends refer to him) uses simple text to convey a mighty big message.

In Plan B, Pastor Pete poses the following question: What do you do when God doesn’t show up the way you thought He would? I can give a plethora of answers just in my own experience and I’m sure you can as well.

In the place I find myself in the book (early stages), King David is the primary focus. You see, when David was just a shepherd boy, he was informed that one day he would be appointed King. After David defeats Goliath, he goes from nobody to a hero. Then, he starts believing that God is going to make the King thing happen. As the story progresses, things start to change for David. Saul becomes jealous over David’s popularity and wants to kill him. Fearing for his life, he takes off running…leaving God behind. I’m pretty sure in David’s mind that the chance of becoming King is slim to none. He probably also feels that God has deserted him and so he needs to take matters into his own hands. Can anyone relate??

I’m sure David was expecting God to show up in a different way than the way He did. I’m sure his version of Plan A is a far cry from God’s version. In our present day world, for us ladies, we plan on graduating (either high school or college), find the perfect career, marry Mr. Perfect, have the perfect 2.5 kids, and have a house with a two car garage. It is always raining in abundance and sickness and disease is no where in sight!

Plan B usually takes a more difficult, painful, and enduring path.

Plan B is my story in a nut shell. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that one child/woman could endure so much pain…all in a short 34 years. After dreaming of becoming a teacher, I took the leap of faith, and pursed a Masters degree in Education. I lucked up and found a great student teaching position, which only catapulted my dreams of teaching. Then it all went down hill. I failed (by one point) my final Praxis exam two times. This failure cost me a few important opportunities. Then the waiting game happened. I graduated in January of 2007 and finally landed a teaching job in July of 2008. This was it or so I thought!! I put my house on the market, fully expecting God to allow the sale of my home in a quick fashion. Set out with a strong mindset that driving 1.5 hours each way would be a breeze, but I never imagined that gas would rise to $4 a gallon. Long story short…my dreams were short lived. One mistake on my part brought those dreams to a halt. As a result of those actions, I was told that I would either be suspended for 2 weeks without pay or have my contract non-renewed. After all the sacrifices I made and the trials I endured, I knew that God would turn this all around in my favor. I prayed feverishly for the suspension only to find that my contract was non-renewed. This decision happened in March. I had to carry out the rest of the school year in shear devastation and disappointment.

Pastor Peter, rather often, brings up these questions: So what does your Plan B look like? What happens when your dreams are not coming true?

Maybe you have been incessantly praying for God to restore your marriage, but still find yourself served with divorce papers…Plan B.

Maybe you have been incessantly praying for God to give you primary custody of your kids, but find that the Judge awarded the father as primary custodian…Plan B.

Maybe you have been battling cancer and praying for healing, but find that the cancer is not in remission…Plan B.

Maybe you are a shareholder in your company, counting on your investments to secure your retirement, but a scandal such as Enron is exposed, leaving you at a complete loss…Plan B.

The list of Plan B’s can go on forever each with its own devastating side effects. At times, the pain is too great to bear. But I am slowly (emphasize slowly) realizing that the outcome of Plan B may be better than Plan A ever would allow. I am still in the heart of Plan B, career wise, so I cannot give any insights there. However, God has given me a man that I am wild about! I honestly believe he was made for me. He would have never fit in Plan A, because my idea of “perfection” holds no weight/value in comparison to God’s idea of perfection. So if He can exceed all my expectations in that area, what else can He do?

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV) says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” As any child loves his own, I’m sure it is painful for God to watch me live out Plan B. However, He knows best. He knows what I need and what I desire.

So if you are struggling with where your life is at the moment, maybe you need to find out what Plan B is all about. You may find that you are exactly at the place God intends for you to be.

Love in Christ,
Nichole