Failed Plans

In the years before I was a mother, the expression, "failing to plan is planning to fail," must have been deeply etched into my psyche. There is no other explanation for why, eight and a half years into motherhood, I still make plans.

Plans don't really work for moms. When I was pregnant, my hubby and I made a "birth plan." This is a false way of making a woman feel in control of a situation where she has no power whatsoever. Not a single thing in our birth plan went the way we thought it should.

Fast forward eight years, and I "planned" to spend the first part of today at a farm on a field trip with my youngest daughter, then I would hurry home to pack and get ready for my trip to Nashville for the MOPS Annual Convention. I am leaving tomorrow. However, since I am writing this, you can guess that I am not at the farm. The trip was thankfully postponed because it is snowing outside. Had it not been postponed,however, I wouldn't be there anyway because on the way to school my daughter threw up all over herself, the back of the car, her booster seat, and her backpack. So, instead of washing the clothes I need to pack later today, I have a "special" load going.

As moms, the only thing we can really count on is that life is unexpected. When we face it with a sense of flexibility and a willingness to tackle change head-on, we can manage life pretty well. When we get too rigid in our expectations, we end up always feeling like we've been puked on.

Thankfully, God is with us whether things go the way we think they should or not. He directs us through the obstacle course of change, and equips us with what we need for each moment. I am thankful that He made it cold and snowy on the day I had to clean up the back of my car. Had it been hot and sunny like it was yesterday, the smell probably would have made me sick along with my daughter. And that is something I definitely didn't plan for.


I won't be posting again until next week since I am "planning" to be in Nashville. Have a blessed week!

Is Your Brain Connected to Your Body?

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. – Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)

For the past two weeks, my oldest daughter, Lauren, has been participating in a gymnastics camp. She has never taken a true gymnastics class before, and I decided that she really needed to learn how to do a cartwheel before entering the third grade in August. Of course, her sister and I tried to teach her, but the fact that we can both do cartwheels can’t make up for our “mom” and “little sister” status. Surely, we don’t know what we are talking about. I decided to send her to a professional.

When I signed Lauren up for camp, I told the coach, “My only goal for this is to get her cartwheeling!” He assured me he would work with her, but as the days passed, I wasn’t seeing the progress I hoped for.

Yesterday, the coach pulled me aside and told me he’d figured out the problem. “She’s left-sided,” he said, “but she wants to be right-sided. Her brain and her body aren’t on the same page.”

This must be a genetic trait because my brain and body rarely work in sync. My head knows it is time to write, but my body won’t sit still in the chair. My heart knows I need to spend time in prayer, but my mind wanders off on its own agenda.

Thankfully, God understands this weakness, and when push comes to shove, He strengthens my mind and body so they can work together to accomplish His purposes as He sees fit. Do you think His purpose includes cartwheels?