When Plans Fall Apart: Finding Purpose in Life’s Interruptions

Have you ever made plans only to watch them fall apart?

That was my experience this past weekend, and it was felt most clearly while trying to sell my truck.

For the record, my wife suggested that I call ahead to make sure I had everything I needed to complete the sale. I didn’t call. I was certain I had everything covered.

So we made our arrangements and drove into town. After waiting for someone to help me, I presented the offer sheet I had received the week before. The salesman glanced at it and said, “I’ll need to see if someone who can write the check is here.”

He was, but there were no checks!

They assured me they would honor the offer on Monday when the checks arrived. That sounded fine, but since the original offer was only valid for seven days or 1,000 miles, I asked if I could get that promise in writing. At the very least, I wanted his name so someone else would know what I was talking about if he wasn’t there.

Reluctantly, he took the offer to the manager and had it updated. Now I would just have to wait until Monday.

When Monday came, I did what I probably should have done the first time — I called ahead. Still no checks, but I was told someone would call me back. After waiting an hour, I went in anyway. They now had exactly one check. The manager explained he had requested checks from their accountant the previous Thursday, but they hadn’t arrived.

I still can’t quite understand how a car dealership operates without checks. My best guess is they’re accustomed to trade-ins, not outright purchases.

But back to Friday.

We had driven thirty minutes into town with a simple plan: sell the truck and go home. Instead, we drove thirty minutes into town and literally could not sell it.

So there went my plans.

My wife quickly called an audible and suggested dinner at one of her favorite local Thai restaurants — conveniently located across the street. After that, we decided to stop by the mall. On the way, we grabbed coffee… which was made incorrectly. Then we spent an hour and a half in a store navigating overwhelming crowds and long lines.

It was a very different night than the one I had planned.

Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

I’ll be the first to admit that I have no idea what the Lord’s specific purpose was in that moment — though it may have simply been an unexpected date night with my wife. Still, I find comfort in the bigger picture: God has a purpose, and His plans will prevail, even when ours unravel.

So here’s my encouragement: look for God’s grace in the interruptions of life.

Things will not always go according to our plans. But we can trust that God is always in control. Even when His plans don’t make sense to us, He knows the what, the why, and the how — and He is working them together for our good.

Take heart. His plan will prevail, and He promises it is good for those who love Him.

This week, when your plans get interrupted, pause before you react. Ask where God might be at work, and choose trust over frustration.

Anyway, I was just thinking...