Today is day four of the #iheartBible challenge that I’m hosting.  If you have joined up, hooray! I’m glad you’re here.  If you want to join up, then awesomesauce.  Check out the challenge post for details and join in on the linky so we can all read one another’s posts during the challenge.  I love Jesus and blogging, so I’m glad to see people joining in.  We’d love to have you join, too.

Today’s verse is Proverbs 16.9.  This verse appears amongst other proverbs; it is below:

The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps.

This verse makes me laugh.  It is pretty much a summation of God’s effect on my life.  I had grand plans for my life; I wasn’t too detailed when I told God my plans, but I figured He knew what I meant.

I wanted to get married, teach at my alma mater, maybe have a couple kids, retire, and enjoy the spoils of my labors.

Well, that second part is out. Not happening.

But, like so many other people, I would never have imagined my life would be what it is right now.  Ever.  And in the middle of this awful winter, I’d be all for living in the South. In. A. Heartbeat.

But when I read this verse I picture a little cartoon person who has grand plans.  Even an awareness of the process by which to achieve those plans.  But every little step? Na.  We usually don’t plan that much detail.

And we never could.

We could never plan the scenic routes we take with God.  We could–and usually would–never plan the pains we experience.  We can never exactly pinpoint the joys that God brings into our lives.

That’s because God’s imagination is way more extensive than ours.  He sees both the skyscraper-sized billboard and the ant-sized food particle.  At the same time. Like, seriously. And we are not as well-equipped as we would like to think.

So, as you dip your round big toe into the reflective puddle of water in front of you, don’t forget: God establishes your steps.

Love,