Years ago i had a custom bracelet engraved with my two favorite bible verses. One on the outside where people can see, and the other on the inside against my skin. The one on the outside is Jeremiah 29:11, my favorite bible verse, and it reads: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” The verse written on the outside of the bracelet is for me and for anyone who wishes to read it. Maybe it will have some meaning in their lives as well. But the verse written on the inside is just a reminder for me. Psalm 23:4 – “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” And he has been. During every minute of every hour of every day of this new chapter, God has found a way to remind me that he is with me always. From the truck to the cross to the billboard to the radio station: God has never left me alone during this chapter. There has been a roadmap but i only get one piece at a time, as the journey requires each next portion of that map. I am learning to make peace with understanding God’s plan for my life may not always align with my own, and when it doesnt…best to go with God’s plan, even if i dont fully understand it at the time. I’m also learning to stop planning ahead with a plan a, b, c, d, e, and f. I’ve stopped relying on my own witt and survival instinct to navigate every situation and started relying on God. It’s not my purpose to out plan every disaster that may arise and live in a state of anxiety and fight or flight. It’s my purpose to show up and do my job, live my purpose, and if problems arise, i will do my best and pray for the answers. And you know what…God’s solutions out-did mine every time. This world is a fallen and tumultuous one and the answers i receive will not always be ones that end in harmony. Sometimes trials are meant to impart lessons and nothing can be done to mitigate the pain they bring. I dont expect the path will always be easy, but it’s time to live what i preach. If i believe God is in charge, it’s time to stop white knuckling the steering wheel and rereading the map and just scoot over and get in the passenger seat. During this next chapter of life, i’m going to try to let God take the wheel and i will work on following, through purposeful thought and action, through prayer and seeking his guidance rather than relying on my own, and through trust. Not trust that everything will always work out but trust that God will be with me and guide me even if things don’t work out, that there is a plan.