God’s Master Plan

Every time I drive by a certain Taco Bell in Bowie, Maryland, I think, I remember when that building was just a plan. When I worked as a newspaper reporter, I covered Bowie City Hall regularly as one of my assignments.

I remember the meeting when that new Taco Bell was just an idea being proposed by planners to the city council members.

I still have memories of the planning team stating their case and then skillfully persuading the councilmen and councilwomen that building and opening a new Taco Bell in Bowie was a good idea. It took about two years for that building to be established, but once the doors of Taco Bell were open, customers flocked.

I know this because I see cars in the parking lot every time I drive by. It amazes me how an idea on paper grew into a reality that makes so many people who love to eat happy! All of this makes me think of a spiritual lesson.

God knew us before we were even an idea in our parents’ minds; God knows who we are (see Psalm 139 and Jeremiah 1:5).

He sees the full potential for the story of our lives, and He has a master plan for us to follow as He establishes our steps.

God’s plans for us are good, and no matter how much we work to make our plans come true, God’s plan for our lives always prevails (Proverbs 16:9).

We make plans, but God establishes our steps.

One of my favorite features of being a journalist is seeing how a story I covered about a plan for a restaurant, park, or another place where people gather starts as an idea on paper and, if approved, is built and opened to the public.

There’s something special about seeing something in its beginning stages and then watching it develop into an establishment that makes people happy.

It helps me imagine how God feels when He thinks of us and allows us to be created, and then we enter this world and grow up into all He’s called us to be in this life.

Alexis A. Goring