AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee - Causeway to Sanibel Island, FL damaged by Hurricane Ian

'We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. '

Proverbs 16:9

Barb and I like to plan everything. Going on camping trips next year? We’re booking campsites as far out as we can. Want to see a total solar eclipse in 2024? We started making plans last year. We make checklists to make sure that we get everything in order and that nothing is left undone.

Sometimes, however, our plans don’t go so well. We have never visited the west coast of Florida, so back in January of 2022 we started making plans for late December to fly into Fort Myers and visit Sanibel Island and other locations before taking a cruise.

The Lord had other ideas. Hurricane Ian came in and pretty well wiped out some of the areas we were planning to visit, so now we’re going to be changing our plans. It’s like today’s verse from Proverbs says so clearly — our plans aren’t always going to match what God wants us to do.

Whenever adversity strikes a believer, we can either “roll with the punches” and know that it has happened for a reason, or we can get upset. The former response is what God’s looking for, and we’ll discern His reason in good time.