For those of you with big plans....

Are you a planner?   Do you love getting up in the morning and planning your day?  When it comes to trips and vacations, do you have almost as much fun deciding what to do and where to go than you do actually going there and doing it?

If so, you are a lot like me.   I love to plan and I have a pretty good idea that my plans are good ones.

So when I was happily listening to this passage from Luke last week, a passage that I had heard many times, this verse from chapter 14 verse 33, jumped out at me.   

Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple.

WHAT?  I had heard the verse before.  I like it much better in the NIV:

 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

Sure, everything is fine.  I’ll give up everything.  But when it’s written another way I’m not so sure!

There are people I could give up, some pretty quickly, but my plans?   Now wait a minute, God.

It took me a while to think through all of this as I rode along in my nice rental car that has to be returned today or tomorrow.     I had to remind myself that God’s plans are always better than mine and that things always work best for me if I’m willing to kiss my own plans goodbye.