Sometimes it’s best not to follow the plans you’ve laid out for yourself. Yes, I know, that sounds goofy.
Nineteen years ago and before we were married, Amanda and I were gifted the most wonderful half-Bloodhound, half-Labrador in the world and named him Kobey. Ten years ago and after having only one dog for nine years, we decided to get a second one and added an English Mastiff to our household. Having two large beasts in our house with our two young children made for a lot of chaos. After Kobey died we agreed to never own two dogs at the same time again.
Deal. Full agreement. That was our plan. And then Amanda and the kids went to look at little furies (hamsters, rabbits, guineas, etc) at the Humane Society…and then they saw him. They texted me a picture and I was all in.
He wasn’t ready for adoption yet, so we called every day to see if he was available. Amanda and I had a great feeling about this dog, so our previous plan of waiting for Sissy the Mastiff to pass before getting another dog went out the window.
So, Duke happened.
Duke, a seven-year-old Basset Hound, is an incredibly perfect dog for our family. It’s a good thing we were flexible in changing our plans.
Our little dog story is a microcosm for life. It’s great to have plans, but you must be open to change. Sometimes you have to use your gut or intuition and make an unexpected turn. Often times a path isn’t visible to us until stumble upon it. It is often said that if you want to hear God laugh, just tell him your plans. In other words, God has plans for you of which you nothing about. I surely didn’t see Duke coming and we certainly could have denied him, but we what a gift he has been.
Career, relationship and other choices can be very much the same. Unexpected doors can lead to unexpected corridors and that lead to unexpected and wonderful places – places that you never will never find if you aren’t open to changing plans, changing course and listening to your heart and gut.
The keys are to listen and to be open to change.
But…how do I listen to my heart and gut? Like…they don’t really talk.
Ah…but they do. Here’s an exercise you can do to help you make any decision:
Consider a decision you have to make. Think of all of the viable options. Now get into a relaxed state. You can lie on your bed with your eyes closed, or just sit in a chair. Take some deep breaths and don’t think about anything for a minute or so. Now imagine yourself making this decision with one of the possible choices. Soak in the idea that you did it. You made your choice. Now, pay attention to what your body and feelings are telling you. What is your heart doing? Are you sweating? Is your stomach feeling anxious? Do you feel happy or nervous? Are you in a place of comfort or panic? Note your answers, then do it again using another possible choice and again for every viable alternative. The one that “feels” the best is what your gut is telling you is the best.
Take that information “to heart”! Trust it and use it. Through your gut is one of the ways God communicates.
Have a beautiful day!
Love and Let 