Digging Deeper: When Plans Change
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans
to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
WHEN PLANS CHANGE
According to Google’s AI overview, Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most well-known scriptures about God’s plans for us—and honestly, I have to agree. But let’s be real: when life feels hard, disappointing, or just far from what we imagined it should be, it can be tough to hold on to the promise in these words. And yet, those moments are precisely when we need to cling to them—not because it feels easy, logical, or even natural, but because we know deep down they are true.
Looking back on my own life, I can think of plenty of times when my plans didn’t pan out. One that stands out, for whatever reason, is my early college experience. I was certain I was going to pharmacy school. I thought, This is the plan. All I need to do is work hard, and it’ll happen. In high school, I didn’t have to try too hard to get good grades, so I assumed college would be the same. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.
College required more than just showing up and glancing over my notes. Before the drop/add period ended in my first semester, I found myself sitting in the registrar’s office, withdrawing from every single class. With that decision, my dreams, hopes, and vision for the future seemed to evaporate. It felt like failure on every level.
Peter’s story reminds me that I’m not alone in this. From what we know of his life, he had more than a few plans that didn’t go the way he expected. As a boy, he probably dreamed of becoming a rabbi but ended up taking on the family fishing business instead. Later, he followed Jesus, believing Him to be the Messiah, only to have that hope seemingly shattered at the crucifixion. And then, just as his world had turned upside down, the resurrected Jesus appeared to him, changing everything once again.
I imagine Peter often felt like he couldn’t figure out which way was up. He had plans—good plans, noble plans, exciting plans—but that’s the thing about plans: they rarely turn out how we expect.
There’s a saying I’ve always liked: Plan like it depends on you, and pray like it depends on God. It’s good advice because we’re not called to sit idly by, waiting for things to fall into place. God invites us to dream, plan, and act. The key, though, is making sure our plans align with His will—and being willing to let Him take the lead, even if it means abandoning our carefully laid-out path.
Like He did for Peter—and like He’s done for me—God often gives us a new course to follow. What feels like a detour or a derailment to us is never a surprise to Him. And in the way only He can, He takes those moments and turns them into something more beautiful and amazing than we could have ever imagined.
Minda Seagraves has been married to her best friend, Russell, for 17 years and is mom to Carson and Maddie. She is also a full-time missionary with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, serving as a chaplain to local female high school teams and supports 380 staff across four states in the U.S. and 20 countries in East Africa as the Regional Director of Talent Advancement with FCA. Minda and her family live in Acworth and have been attending NorthStar Church since 2020.