There’s a famous line in Scottish poet Robert Burns’ poem “To a Mouse, On Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough” that people often quote:  “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” That little field mouse in the poem had picked what he thought was a great place for a quaint burrow. Little did he know that it was right in the middle of the field where the farmer planned to plant his crops. And not long after the little mouse was all snuggled in, here came the farmer plowing him up. Even our best plans don’t always work out.

Today’s word of wisdom gets at this reality also. It says in Proverbs 16:9, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” In other words, plan all you want, but know that the Lord will take you where He wants you to go. Psalm 33 says that the Lord “frustrates the plans of the peoples.” And that, of course, indeed does lead to our frustration. “God, why did you mess my plans up?”

But if you’ll take a step back for a moment, I pray that your frustration will be replaced with trust. You see, while your plan may be good, God’s plan is always better. You want Him to establish your steps. That doesn’t mean that you don’t plan, but it does mean that when God frustrates your plans, you respond in faith, knowing that while the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, God’s plans never do. His plan is perfect. I pray that you trust Him!

Change begins in you!