Improvising

Life doesn’t go as planned quite a lot, and so we just have to act like we know what we are doing.

The best thing about all this is that though we are caught off guard, God is not. We may have to improvise, but He never does. And I don’t know about you, but I would love some insight from God so I could just be prepared for all things…

One day we were out shopping, and we got to the parking lot of the last store, and all of a sudden our truck would no longer go. This, of course, was not what we wanted, but at least we didn’t stall out on the actual road.

This little thing ended up being that our truck needed a brand-new transmission… isn’t that fun?

This was one of those situations of, “Lord, we have no idea how this will work out, but we are just going to trust You with it all.”

The blessing came, and we couldn’t have been more thankful because, as you may not know, this is our only vehicle. So this stressful situation was in God’s hands the whole time. We were blessed that the Lord sees us, knows our need, and provides for us.

Proverbs 16:9 is a Scripture I have shared a lot, and it says, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”

This is important because we can get so caught up in what we have done and planned that we lose our flexibility and willingness to rely on the Lord.

Control is not everything, regardless of what we think and feel sometimes, and letting go doesn’t mean chaos will begin. It’s more about learning to be on Team God and go with what He has planned.

My dad was a jack-legger — he would use duct tape and silicone to fix anything. One thing he used to do any time he hurt himself was take a paper towel, put it where it was needed, and then wrap it with electrical tape — boom, a Band-Aid.

I remember watching him build so many different things out of stuff that was just lying around. His electrical engineer mind was an interesting one, to say the least. But it was those moments where what he made actually worked that were so cool.

So though the things he did seemed like chaos, he had a plan.

The same goes for our lives — sometimes they seem like chaos, but God has a plan.

When we are flexible, we can find that our faith is stronger than we thought.

If you need a little reminder today, say this: “God guides me even when I don’t have a plan, and I will trust God with the unexpected things this life brings.”

As we know, being flexible and improvising can teach us patience, creativity, and how to let go of control.

I didn’t plan on anything after high school; I was just going with the flow, and all of a sudden I ended up at college. I’m sure no one saw that coming because I was not one to get good grades in school — I struggled. But God had a plan, didn’t He?

I graduated, and now, after 20 years, I work in a field where my degree actually applies, and I get to talk with you every day.

I had no plan, but God did — and I’m amazed by it. No matter how I got here, I got here.

I was trying to think of a time in the Bible where someone had to improvise, and funnily enough, I had just read about Jesus feeding the 5,000. If that is not a story of improvising and making things work, then I don’t know what is.

You see, Jesus knew what could be done, but the disciples did not. So they had to follow the plan of the Lord, and in this story, the five loaves and two fish ended up being more than enough to feed everyone that day.

Their faith grew that day, and when we follow the Lord, our faith grows as well.

Things don’t always go our way, but that doesn’t mean we have failed or messed up. It just means things change, and how we react and adapt says a lot about our faith and flexibility.

Be open to God’s leading today, even when it looks different than what you had in mind.

Let’s take a moment to pray.

Thank You, Lord, for all You do for us each and every day. We are grateful for Your mercies and Your grace. Lord, as we go about our day today, help us to be flexible, to trust You, and give us peace when things change. God, give us wisdom to respond well when the unexpected happens. We want to do what pleases You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

I know it can feel really uncomfortable when plans change or fall apart, but wanting and waiting for certainty before doing anything means that nothing would ever get done. There isn’t a 100% guarantee in anything but God, which is why we need to be flexible and remember that God is with us every step.

Improvising with faith means listening, adjusting, and trusting in God.

Remember, there is no script for life, but there is comfort in the knowledge that God is faithful. And once we learn to trust God, letting go of control becomes easier and easier.