Tuesday, November 18, 2025

New Testament Reading Plan: Colossians 1

In 1998, my aunt took me to visit her alma mater, Kent State University, because it had a great architecture program. I failed to tell her that dream had already sailed.

In 1999, my grandparents invited me to move to Cleveland. Their plan included me living rent-free with an allowance, as long as I attended college. They made an offer that I couldn’t refuse, but I had other plans.

Apparently, my oldest also stumbled out of the gates into adulthood, because nineteen years later, he received full-ride scholarships to two universities in New York. Although we urged him to accept, he chose the school that offered zero scholarship money.

I’m sure we’re not the only people whose personal plans for winning didn’t deliver. It’s also fair to say we both ruined others' plans for us.

In week three of At the Movies, Unstoppable taught us that plans can change for many reasons. As Coach Charles said, “Good luck, bad luck, who knows?” Anthony’s plan started and ended with Iowa, but God had another plan.

Just like Anthony, I've learned that my own ideas haven't always unfolded the way I expected. It’s possible that my late teens and early twenties would’ve been amazing had I followed different plans … or I could’ve been miserable. All I know for sure is I wasn’t willing to jump on any train that I wasn’t the conductor of.

But it’s foolish to conduct life so blindly.

Proverbs 16:9
We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

It’s good if you already trust God enough to follow his steps for you, instead of getting out of sync when you try to step ahead of him. Be proud and show others what winning is all about. But if you aren’t following God’s lead, maybe it’s time to fully join his team.

You can trust what God has for you because he is all-knowing and entirely good. If you don’t believe that’s true, consider how often you’ve lost because getting your way was the only acceptable plan of action.

Your plans matter, but they need to align with God’s goals. Sometimes, God’s journey is difficult, but you’ll see you’ve become a stronger leader, a better spouse, or a truer friend along the way. No matter how uncertain the future seems, we can rest in the promise that God has the best possible plan in mind.

Questions:
Whose plan are you trusting? What unexpected steps have you taken with God leading the way?

Next Steps:
Pray about finding the purpose in your plans. Do a search for stories in the Bible about trusting God. Genesis 37-50 is a good start.

Prayer:
Lord, I find hiccups in life when I take the lead without keeping you in my heart. My wants often lack understanding. Stay with me, Lord. Lead me again as you did when I was a child. Replace my plans with your purpose for me. Amen.

Series Theme Verse:

Romans 1:20
For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

This post was written by Jaron Camp, a Findlay attendee and regular contributor to the Daily LivingItOut.