I have a wonderful plan for your life. Why don't you get it?

The humble truth of the matter is that we come to every relationship with an agenda. As Paul Tripp says, we often approach people with the self-serving attitude of “I love you and I have a wonderful plan for your life.” Somehow they just don’t "get it!"

“Whatever controls my heart will control my responses to people and situations.” –Paul Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands

Today I arrived at work in a good mood. It was going to be a good day. But, some of my coworkers didn’t seem to be on board with my agenda. I was expecting efficiency, cheerfulness, and bustling productivity and was quickly disappointed when things didn’t go according to plan – MY plan. My initial feeling of cheerfulness quickly turned sour when my expectations were disappointed. I promptly turned into an irritable, prickly grump! I didn’t have to do much self-reflection to figure out what was controlling my heart in this scenario. Trust me, I’ve been here before! I’m an organizer. I haven’t asked my mom, but I’m pretty sure I was born with a day planner in my hand. I like to know what to expect, and I like to plan for every unforeseeable event. I hate surprises or the unknown. The sad thing is that people are always getting in my way. Life gets in my way. And I get annoyed. Planning is not evil in and of itself and a little organization never hurt anyone. But there are times (more often than I’d like to admit), that this love of security and predictability becomes a monster. Sometimes it becomes an idol. Why is this a problem? It is a problem because I am serving a false god of temporal security rather than putting my security in God. This is a problem because God is a holy and jealous God and must be served ALONE. My false god of security also puts me at odds with any person who would dare stand in the way, and people DO, much to my dismay! The idols must be repented of and dethroned. What should rule in their stead? What SHOULD control my actions? God should be on the throne. His love and grace ruling in my heart should be the motivating factor in all my dealings with my neighbors. My first concern should be what God’s agenda is for my day. Then I should seek to glorify Him by loving and serving others. When I get angry, irritable, or respond in a manner that is anything less than loving and Christ-like, I can depend on the fact that something ELSE is ruling my heart.

“A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.” Proverbs 16:9