5 Things To Remember When Life Doesn't Go As Planned

1. Your purpose does not lie in your plans.

Your purpose lies in the hands of the One who created you. 

It does not lie in the worldly disappointments you may be facing. A lost job. A missed opportunity. A denial or rejection. Those things don’t define you. The sooner you can realize that the sooner you can stop binding your identity and purpose to the shifty things of this world that are here today and gone tomorrow.

2. Things will get better.

When I got rejected for an opportunity I thought I totally had a few months ago, it hurt. It stung. But I went home, looked Tyler in the eyes with tears in my own, and told him, “This isn’t what I had planned. And it sucks. And it hurts. But I know and believe that there is something better out there for me.”

In this time of disappointment, it was clear that I needed to dig into the Word even more. To strengthen and cling to my relationship with the Lord that much more. As Job 22 says, “Come back to God Almighty and He’ll rebuild your life.”

The plans I thought I had for myself were totally flipped upside down, but little did I know He’d place an even better opportunity in front of me just a couple months later.

And He’ll do the same for you. It may not feel like it now, but things will get better. Take it from someone who counseled Job, a man who had nearly everything stripped away from him:

Job 8:21 “God will let you laugh again; you’ll raise the roof with shouts of joy.”

Job 11:17 “Your world will be washed in sunshine, every shadow dispersed by dayspring.”

I hope you believe that the rays of sunshine will hit your face and wash over your spirit with joy once again.

3. Time doesn’t heal. God does. 

We hear the phrase “time heals” so often. We are told that if we just wait, if we just sit and not think about something for a long enough period of time, things will get better.

And yes, those pain points may leave your mind for a while. They may fade in and out, not leaving as much of a sting when they do. Time can distract.

But God delivers.

He is the only One who delivers.

He will deliver you from the hurt you’re facing, from the pain you’re enduring. He will rescue you and carry your burden upon His shoulders.

But you have to bring it to Him. You have to come before Him. You have to get on your knees. And then you have to let God do the healing.

Find hope in Job 8: “Get down on your knees. Even though you’re not much right now, you’ll end up better than ever.”

4. God is moving & so are you.

Job 9:11 says, “Somehow, though He moves right in front of me, I don’t see Him; quietly but surely he’s active, and I miss it.”

Job 12:7-10 adds, “But ask the animals what they think - let them teach you; let the birds tell you what’s going on. Put your ear to the earth - learn the basics. Listen - the fish in the ocean will tell you their stories. Isn’t it clear that they all know and agree that God is sovereign, that He holds all things in His hand - every living soul yes, every breathing creature?”

Just as God is moving, so are you. You are being moved. It may feel like you’re flipped upside down. It may not feel like a great movement right now, but I promise you that God is moving in your life. He is shaping you. He is guiding you. And He is working all things for good.

And He is there. He is right by your side. He hasn’t left you. He hasn’t forsaken you. In your coming. In your going. In your weeping. In your rejoicing. He is for you. He is with you.

5. Give yourself some grace.

We often bog ourselves down with guilt, feeling ashamed when a wave of disappointment or emotions settle in our hearts. It is totally okay to be a little bummed out when things don’t go as planned. It’s totally okay to take a step back and reevaluate. It’s okay to take a mental and physical pause and just breathe. 

Give yourself some grace. Don’t allow the guilt of that grace to overwhelm your soul.

Take your moment. Breathe in and out. Take a nap. Read a book. Sing a song. Say a prayer. And then take the next step forward. Be kind to yourself.

If God chooses to give you grace each day, it’s the least you can do to do the same for yourself.

Not everything in our lives will go as planned. In fact, we’ll find that a lot of life doesn’t happen as planned. But the good news is that our identities don’t lie in those plans. We can trust that God is moving, that He is leading us to better things. We can trust that He will deliver us. And we can give ourselves some grace through it.

John 16:33 “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”