“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.” Jeremiah 29:11
One of my favorite things to do is to plan the vacations my wife and I take on life’s journey. Sometimes I enjoy the planning aspect as much if not more than going on the adventure. When I am in the zone, I seek to uncover every morsel of information about the places and things we plan to do. It’s like an imaginary jigsaw puzzle with each stage of the trip being a puzzle piece. Since the invention of electronic navigational tools, I don’t get too bogged down with specific routes. But I do sketch out tentative details such as how many miles between locations to get an understanding on how many days it will take to see everything.
Packing is an evil necessity for me. I tend to take about 2 weeks of clothing for a 7-day trip. Hoisting the bags into the car is like a Strongest Man competition. You would think I would have learned to strategically condense what I pack into a 10-day schedule just in case there is a need for additional clothing changes. It’s unreasonable, but I sometimes feel like I would benefit by hiring someone with organizational skills to create a vacation packing plan. The increase in gas mileage might balance out the money I would pay a professional.
When we are on the road the vacation starts to take shape. Admittedly, I’m a little impatient in the driving part of the trip. I know where we’re going and I’ve figured out how we’re going to get there. To myself, I start asking the question, “Are we there yet?” For some unknown reason I feel pressure in being the Captain of the Ship and it can get the best of me. Reaching the places on my itinerary is where I relax a little bit and I enjoy the experience. My photography lends itself to re-creating where we’ve been and what was going on at that time. It is usually only after we get back home when I realize the great things we experienced on our vacation.
There are a number of verses in the Bible related to plans and planning. The most noteworthy is Jeremiah 29:11 11 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. This alone should give me peace and comfort during my vacation planning process. God turns into a navigation system like no other. There are numerous times when anxiety got the best of me and if I remind myself of this passage, how much better would I be.
David made plans to build the Temple in 1 Chronicles 28:1,2 Genesis 6:22 and 7:1. All the specific details may not have been know from the outset, but the reality of the end results could be seen as clear as a road map used on vacation. There are some people who embrace projects like the Temple and the Ark and others who witness the final product when it is finished. Seeing is believing, but doing is likely carrying out God’s plans. Jesus is inviting you on an adventure today. Will you accept?