Prepared for Plan B

A friend who saw this picture on my facebook page left the following kind comment:  "You are an inspiration and I admire you more then you know. I'm not sure I could transition from Plan A to Plan B as seamlessly as you have."

Isn't that sweet?  It's too bad I'll have to tell Michele she's wrong!

You see, I can't really take much credit for how all of this is going down, not when I look back and see how God prepared me for it.  My part was only to continue seeking Him, while He did the daily work of increasing my faith, proving His goodness and pouring out His grace into my heart.

If you grew up in church you probably at some point sang the words, "Jehovah Jireh, my provider, His grace is sufficient for me, for me, for me."  I always thought it meant God would provide for my material needs and continuosly give me grace, but I've come to understand that His provision for my circumstances is just as dependable.

And why wouldn't it be?  Scripture is clear that God is a planner, a nice nod to all of us Type As who consider our daytimers a second Bible.  "I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord."  (Jeremiah 29:11)  Plans made from the beginning of time.  (2 Timothy 1:9)  He even planned the good works we should do.  "....we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Eph 2:10)

If God made those plans, it only makes sense that He prepares us for them.  This is especially comforting when I consider that good works aren't just serving in a soup kitchen or going on a missions trip.  What if one of the good works God planned for Sarah DelliGatti in 2012 included divorcing graciously, without malice and while maintaining peace in my life and home?  Seems like a pretty good way for Him to be glorified, doesn't it? 

Michele, I pray you never have to walk this path in your own life, but don't be deceived -- tomorrow or the day after is surely going to throw you your own unexpected Plan B, and I can guarantee you that just as surely as God has prepared me for this season, He will prepare you for that one as well.  As you daily walk with Him and more easily recognize His leading and His voice, the good works that are suddenly thrust upon you -- the emergency call in the night, the terrifying diagnosis, the horrible betrayal by a friend -- all of those you will handle with courage because your Jehovah Jireh knew they were coming and is even now giving you all you need to be victorious.

My SarahPhrased version of Jeremiah 29:11 and Ephesians 2:10 for this Plan B season goes like this:

"Sarah, I know the plans I have for you during this divorce.  My plan to help you cope started long ago, before you were even aware this day was coming.  That's when I started growing your confidence in my goodness, your faith in my provision, and your hope for the future.  I planned this good work of divorcing with dignity so you would be able to endure it and so my name would be glorified when people see your joy in these difficult circumstances."

Thanks for your kind words, Michele.  Our God is inspiring, and He will be just as amazing in your Plan Bs as He has been in mine!

Prayer Labyrinth

A few weeks ago one of my good friends mentioned she had visited a prayer labyrinth. Knowing that there are no minotaurs in the Bible (though you can find a behemoth and leviathan in Job 40-41 which make for some pretty cool reading), I came home and googled it. Here's a link if you're interested, or read on for the SarahPhrased version.  http://www.labyrinth.org.uk/

Here's the gist: the labyrinth is a winding pathway that looks at first glance like a maze -- but isn't.  It's a path that wraps around until ending in a circle smack dab in the middle.


The idea is to walk through it while praying, considering how the journey of your life mirrors the journey through the labyrinth, ending in the center, where you turn around and exit through the same path.  Apparently they have pagan roots but somehow got adopted by religious folk who started using them as a prayer and meditation device.  (Still, I strongly suggest you pray before entering, rebuking any evil presence that might be loitering at the invitation of previous visitors who are there to meditate on "gods" other than Christ.) 

I stepped into one that's located in Camp Hill. It's a beautiful area and the walk was quiet and peaceful but void of any major revelations.

Switch to another labyrinth, this one found between the covers of a good book. I had it on the summer's reading list to enjoy Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan with my girls, completely forgetting that it's written in King's English, so full of "thees," "thous," and "wherefores" that we all three are covered with my spit within the first few pages.  A quick search revealed what I was hoping for: a retelling available at the local library in today's vernacular.


The girls and I snuggled in for the duration. And what a labyrinth it was! No simple winding path here -- Christian journeys through the Slough of Despond, past Legality's Home, on to the Place of Deliverance, over the Hill of Difficulty, stops briefly at the House Beautiful, through the By-Path Meadow, into the Doubting Castle, through the Delectable Mountains, past the Enchanted Ground, through the River of Death, finally arriving at the Celestial City.  (Whew!)  His journey isn't a solitary one as mine was in the quiet Camp Hill park -- his traveling companions include Evangelist, Obstinate, Pliable, Help, Mr. Worldly Wisdom, Mr. Legality and his son, Civility, Faithful, Hopeful, and Ignorance. 




This abbreviated version of the story gave us just enough of the original without exhausting the girls' attention spans.  Multiple times I laid the book in my lap and sobbed quietly while the girls patiently waited for me to resume reading.  They were undoubtedly puzzled by my strong reaction to a simple story, but inside I was relating my own journey to Christian's  -- I, too, have journeyed on a winding path no less dramatic, often tempted by Deceiver, narrowly missing plummeting off the Cliffs of Destruction only to be rescued time and again by friends, Shining Ones and the King himself.  No simple, winding path for me, but a harrowing journey full of cliffhangers and untimely twists and turns, some detours sent by Satan to tempt and trap me, others by God to test and try me and ultimately strengthen my faith in His goodness.

Whether you meditate by walking in a quiet garden or by mentally revisiting the adventurous roadmap already traversed, the final conclusion is what matters most.  Beloved Pilgrim, it's not the terrain that proves God's grace, but the fact that He walks every step with us, whether we are dancing on the mountaintops or mucking through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, for "....thou art with me...."  Jesus, the Master Mapmaker, will see us through to the end.