The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men!

What a day! As the old saying goes –“The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” I don’t know if I like my planning to be compared with the plans of mice – but there it is. While I know theologically that the plan God has for me is often quite different than the plans I have, it yet catches me off-guard when my plans seemingly fail.

Today was to be another “ho-hum” day in paradise. I got up, had coffee and breakfast, enjoyed Bible study with my family, and headed off to the office (after a brief visit at the hospital). I had been working in my mind all that I was going to accomplish.

When I left the hospital, there were a few snow flurries. The weather forecast was for a 60% possibility of snow – less than an inch. We have had several winter storms of more tumultuous expectations forecasted only to have them fail to materialize.

I arrive at the office, ready to work, getting some emails done – when I received a phone call from my wife asking, “Have you looked outside lately?” I made my way to the entrance of the church to see a blanket of white on the ground and on my car. I check the radar and more was on the way. I forget to mention that I had noticed a nail in my tire this morning and thought I would run by Wal-mart to get it fixed. Additionally, the tread on my front tires was not too good so I thought that I had better gather my things and head home. This I did, without incident.

Once I got home, we realized that we needed to pick up a few things at Wal-mart before it got any worse outside. So, I said that we should take my car so that I could have the tire fixed. So, my family and I piled in the car and began to make our way to Wal-mart. On one of the quiet back streets I noticed my car was pulling to the left. Yes, the tire had gone completely flat. Here it was snowing and I had to change a tire. Slight change in plans.

I got the spare out and changed out the tire rather quickly. “Now,” I thought to myself, “if I can just negotiate the snow on the donut spare. Or should I go home and get the van and just take the tire to Wal-mart?” After getting back into the car I turned it around to head back when I felt and noticed something not right. I opened the car door to look at the donut only to see that the tire had come off the donut. Now we were stuck. I called a friend, who graciously picked us up and took us back to the house so I could get my van. Now my plan was to pick up the flat tire and also go ahead and take off the other front tire to have it replaced, load them in the van and head to Wal-mart.

Wal-mart was great, fixed the tires in nothing flat (I guess that is an intended pun) and, leaving my wife and daughter at Wal-mart to shop, headed toward the car, so that I could put on the two tires and get the car out of the road. This is what I did, while it was snow profusely on me. It was about 24 degrees, but I really didn’t notice the temperature until I was finished and got back into the warm car. Oh, how my figures hurt! But it was done.

I went back to Wal-mart, picked up my family, headed back toward the car, and eventually got my family, my van, and my car with two new tires home. While it only took me a few minutes to describe these events, we left the house at 11:30 and I did not get home until about 3:30. Unbelievable! But this was the day that the Lord made – I will rejoice and be glad in it! (Psalm 118:24).

And even now, as I am trying to write this – my dog, for some reason, has just vomited behind my computer chair! The best laid plans of mice and men…

Lord, teach me the lessons that keep me humble and dependent upon You!

Oh, that supposed less than an inch of snow - its now about 2 inches with more on the way!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed