I Forgot But He Didn’t

You know those days when you have everything planned out perfectly? Your list is long, but you’ve got it all thought out. You know very well this means you’re going to be multitasking most of the day but you’re skilled and adept at stirring a pot of soup with one hand and solving the world’s problems with the other. You’ve got this. No amount of time spent in a car line will be wasted. No job interview will get the best of you and you’ve got dinner all figured out.  When they arrived at school, the kids looked like they just stepped out of a Norman Rockwell painting (OK, that might be a stretch). You’ve even been somewhat kind to the dog, aka your nemesis. (I’m willing to admit that last one may only apply to me.) But you get the point, the day is planned to perfection. Until….

You forget the most important thing you were supposed to do.

I don’t even know how this happens. I’m intelligent and for the most part rational. You would think my brain would not betray me. But on occasion it’s been known to wreak havoc on even the most well thought out plans. Somehow, some way, it sabotages me.

Yesterday was a classic example. I’m multitasking away, feeling really good about myself and my accomplishments, when I get a text from a friend. She needed help and asked if I was free. A momentary glance at my mental schedule confirmed a redirect of time and talent was in fact possible. Jumping into my super SUV, I was there in a jiffy. Things were clicking. We were all feeling really good about life.  I was just about to burst into song when I realized… I FORGOT.

I forgot the most important thing. I forgot I was supposed to take a meal to a family. WHAT? How did this happen? What in the world? Who erased this from the mental schedule? It’s too late to go home and cook. I wasn’t even sure I had all the ingredients. Now what….

As I was spiraling out of control in a fit of finger pointing, self-inflicted condemnation, my friend made a suggestion.

         “Why don’t you try that new pizza place?”

Take the family pizza! Yes, that will work. They’d probably rather have that than the casserole I was supposed to take anyhow. Plan B commenced.

Fast forward an hour and again I was feeling on top of the world. But this time, it wasn’t because of my amazing planning skills. It was because through my forgetting, God did something He wanted to do. And what He wanted to do was FAR better than anything I had planned.

Because I forgot, He led me to purchase pizzas from a new business owned by mutual friends. I had no idea they owned this business and was thrilled to bless them. In return they blessed the family I was taking the meal to by giving them two free pizzas for yet another meal.

I forgot. He didn’t. He had it all under control. Had I remembered the meal, I would not have agreed to help my friend, which meant I would not have blessed the pizza owners which meant they would not have had a chance to bless the family I was blessing in the first place.

If your head is spinning, I completely understand. Mine was and still is. The point is: I forgot. But forgetting isn’t always a bad thing. God orders our steps in ways we could never plan. And for that I’m forever grateful.

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.

Proverbs 16:9