Diverting and Pivoting
“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!”
How many times have you heard this? A few days after writing my last blog the weather changed dramatically. It went from lovely spring weather to grey, cloudy, and some heavy rain. My husband likes to check his weather app, on his phone, daily and keeps me informed of what is happening. He had told me that the rain was coming so I went out to my rose garden to see how the flowers were doing. Many had become full blooms and I knew that a heavy rain would destroy them. I made the decision to cut them and bring them into the house. I cut about 14 flowers. Oh, the fragrance was amazing and filled the room! I put them all in a vase with some water and they stayed fresh for the rest of the week and were such a delight to look at!
After I had written about leaving the flowers on the bushes, I felt a bit guilty for cutting them. But what happened was an unexpected blessing! Had I left them on the bushes they would have been totally ruined by the rain and the petals would have all landed on the ground. As a result, from the cutting, they lasted longer and gave us much more pleasure!
Sometimes we must alter our plans. Life throws curveballs and we have to know how to handle them appropriately. I am reminded of the parable that Jesus told found in Matthew 22. A king’s son was about to be married. The king sent his servants out to invite the townspeople to come to the banquet. But the people were all too busy to come and offered excuses. When the servants reported this to the king, he sent them out to the highways and byways to invite anyone they met to come to the wedding feast.
One of the applications that I make with this parable is that plans don’t always work out the way we think they should. So, we must pivot and perhaps change plans or at least modify them. It is how well we can do this that counts. Attitude is everything! If we fuss and fume over what is not going how we planned, who does that affect? Us. Better to figure out another way. Diverting from one plan can become a better plan!
How many times have you said, ‘Well, I guess we need Plan B’? I have said that too many times to count! Having backup plans is good because not everything goes according to plan A.
There are lots of signs along the road of life. They are all screaming for our attention. We need to be careful which ones we pay attention to and give credence. In the story of Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyon, Christian (the main character) is in search of salvation and wants to get to the Celestial City. He carries a huge burden on his back and can’t unload it by himself. He can only get rid of his terrible burden at the foot of the cross. Along his journey, he encounters many people and places that try to divert his attention. But there are also other travelers who come alongside and help and encourage him in his quest to get to the Celestial City.
The Christian life is a journey. We sometimes stumble along the path, wander off into fields that look delightful but in truth are not, we make friends with the wrong people and listen to unwise counsel. When other travelers come who have traveled farther down the road and know the pitfalls we can learn from them, travel alongside them and receive wise counsel. This is why we need the church and community. Allowing mature believers to speak into our lives and give us guidance helps us along our spiritual journey. Knowing when one plan is not good, or going to work out, is part of growth. Getting back on track, on the right road, or making a better plan, and admitting mistakes results in growth that will lead us to our final destination.
Don’t you know that He who pursues and explores the human heart intimately knows the Spirit’s mind because He pleads to God for His saints to align their lives with the will of God? We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan.
Romans 8:27, 28
Shalom!
P.S. After the rose petals all fell off I let them dry as a lovely reminder of their beauty and fragrance. Now a potpourri that will last much longer! God’s ways are always best!
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