My Way or the Highway

  I recently saw a production of Wicked in which Galinda remarks, "Something's wrong."  And when she is asked what, she replies, "I didn't get my way."  Now, this makes for a humorous quip in the play, but I'd be willing to bet that most of us feel that way inside when things don't go as we planned.  After all, if you worked hard enough to create a plan or even just laid out an outline in your head of how the day should go, it feels a bit unfair when things don't go according to plan. And many of us (myself included) resort to whining and griping and getting downright angry when our plans don't work out.  But there's something we all need to keep in perspective.  God has the Master Plan.  He knows exactly what's going on, and He may be using that delay in traffic to keep you out of an accident down the road, or maybe that hiccup at work will push you to seek out an employee you've never talked to before who might become a new friend.  I really do believe that everything happens for a reason, and if we will keep that in perspective, we will find changes to our plans a lot easier to deal with.  We need to become adept at adjusting to changes in plans, and we need to make sure we keep our attitude up when changes do happen.  Don't let changes to your day ruin your day.
  Let me give you an example.  I've told you before that I plan out my week in advance, down to the half hour; in fact, everything is laid out.  But here's what inevitably happens each week, a friend calls and asks to get together, my child has a meltdown, one of my son's therapists needs to change the time they are coming, the dog gets loose and we have to spend half an hour chasing her.  There are endless ways for the schedule to come unhinged in a week.  So I have learned to get good at adapting, at taking the unforeseen change in stride and moving on.  Here's how I do it:

1.  I know which things have to be done. 
Changes are a priority tester.  We all have those things we know we need to be doing to move forward towards our goal.  For me, I have three things that I feel God really wants me to focus in on this year:  Read, Write, Clean.  Now, you may think that's a pretty silly list, but those are my three "Non-negotiables."  Those three things must get done every day.  Why?  Because if I neglect those three things than I am not moving closer to my purpose but farther.  Then, there are obviously other responsibilities which I cannot just throw out the window.. my child, work, my husband, these things can't get put on the back burner.  They need attention each day, and that has to be a priority too, so if a change happens and something needs to go, I can tell you which things it won't be.

2.  I'm ok with things not being perfect.
I know this is a hard one for a lot of you.  If you want to get good at adapting to changes in your schedule, you have to be ok with not doing things perfectly all the time.  Here's an example.  Yesterday I was planning to pick my son up at 4:30 so I could get him home, fed, and showered for church, which I thought was at 6:30.  Halfway through the day I discovered that Saturday church actually starts at 6.  (I usually go Sunday's, but I was adjusting for another event which popped up on Sunday.)  I decided I would let my son get McDonalds on our drive to church, rather than cook dinner because this would enable us to get there on time still.  Crisis averted, until I got to his dad's house that is.  I pulled up to his dad's house at 4:30, ready to hit the road and book it back home to get my son ready for church, and there was no one there.  So, I drove to the barn, and the other barn, and then back to the house.  Still no one.  I called, and texted, and still nothing.  Fifteen minutes passed with no word.  Now, in the past I would have gotten frustrated.  I would have yelled and whined and made a big deal about the fact that they weren't there on time and that my plans were ruined.  But, I've grown and learned better ways of dealing with things.  So, when they arrived I didn't complain about them being late.  I chatted with his dad about the day and some of the plans for later on this week, and then we headed on our way.  On the way home I decided that since we couldn't possibly make it to church in time, I would put the live stream on the tv, make dinner at home, and we would eat dinner in the living room and watch the church service.  Do we normally eat dinner in the livingroom?  Nope.  Do we usually watch church on our tv?  No.  And do we ever eat dinner and have church at the same time?  Um, no.  But we did.  And you know what?  It turned out just fine.  And actually, my son got to hear the sermon since he couldn't attend children's church from our living room, and the notes he took from the service made my heart melt.  He was learning and processing information that I'm not sure he ever has before.

Now, here's the other key to successfully navigating unexpected changes to your schedule.  Keep a good attitude.  I cannot stress how important this is.  Having a negative, ungrateful attitude can ruin what God is trying to do in and through you with that change.  Stay positive, be flexible, and find a way to be thankful for life's little twists, and I promise you, you will gain from each agenda change rather than being miserable and frustrated about them.
  No matter what your plans are for the day or week, know that God has a greater plan and purpose than what we can see.  Stay open to His plan, keep focused on what's important, and keep a good attitude.  With those things in mind, you can handle any surprises the day may throw at you.  Make it a great day!  I can't wait to see you succeed!

~K.W.