"PLAN B" Kids Ministry Coffee Break 6: In ministry we only ever plan for what we anticipate, but this can be vastly different from what God is planning. We make Plan B until Plan A presents itself.

Coffee Break 6 - Plan B

Today’s break is called “Plan B”

We connected the other day about disruptions in a mission trip life of ministry.

Disruptions during your routine is one thing…but your plans having to change altogether is a part of our life in ministry.

I’m no wise sage.

Rather, I’ve just tried to learn as a I go and, after 26 years in ministry, I’ve picked up on some stuff that has helped me along the way…because ministry can be tough at times.

ESPECIALLY when you try to vision, plan, and lead and then things just get a major wrench thrown in them.

You can reserve places, vans, food, whatever…and then suddenly not have the reservation be in place when you need it.

You can have all of your volunteers organized and in place…but then a week before the event you have half of your people tell you they can’t make it after all.

You know what I’m talking about?

So here’s my little personal secret form of sanity in the reality of plans that change.

You ready for this little simple nugget?

I never make the actual plan.

Oh, I don’t just wing it:

I organize, reserve, call, schedule, make deposits, and write out every detail of how I anticipate things going…but…I call my plan, “Plan B.”

The fact of the matter is…I don’t know what Plan A is.

Only God knows what Plan A is.

I make Plan B.

On good days, Plan B IS Plan A.

But on many other days…Plan B is what I planned and Plan A is what actually happens.

If I can have it in my heart and mind from the beginning that I’m only creating Plan B until Plan A presents itself, I find it much easier to adapt when things don’t follow what I envisioned.

Think of Abraham, Noah, Moses, Miriam, Ruth, Esther…

Think of Samuel, David, Elijah, Nehemiah…

Think of Mary and Joseph, or Peter, Paul, and about everyone else we read about in scripture.

None of them lived out their plan.

They lived out plan A…God’s plan…but none of them knew their Plan was simply Plan B.

We have their example.

We have our experience.

We have the knowledge we’ve gained along the way to help us live our life of ministry with more flexibility and, dare I say, appreciation and humor for when things go in completely different directions.

I don’t know about you, but most of the stories we read in the Bible would’ve been boring and uninspiring if things had gone as the humans had PLANNED.

So…let’s give a smile to the Plan Bs that are on the hearts and minds of everyone speaking and listening this morning that will go completely different than we had in mind.

Let’s look up every now and again and give a wink to God and say,

“So that’s what you had in mind…”

Make your plans, friends.

Make the best Plan Bs you can.

Who knows…your plan B might just be Plan A after all.

But if it’s not… just breathe and remember what a joy it is to be alive and experience the full spectrum of human emotions today.

https://10bibleverses.com/scripture-quotes/bible-verses-about-faith/

Message brought to you by Rev. Joseph Sanford from The Sanford Curriculum written by Joseph and Lauren Sanford and available on sundayschool.store

Music brought to you by The Muse Maker: themusemaker.com

https://sundayschool.store/products/the-lord-s-prayer-5-lesson-sunday-school-curriculum-for-kids

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kidsministry-coffee-break/support