I don’t know about in your home what September has brought because it’s only the 2nd but in my home it came in with a roar and flattened me Buttercup. Buckle up and I will share what has been going on in my life. Remember you may not want to make plans because the Lord may change those plans and that is what I faced this week more times than I can count.

Well, Buttercup… as I mentioned earlier September certainly did not start the way I thought it would. I had plans. I had lists. David had plans. Charlie had plans and we had plans as a family. But none of them got done.

I had posts I wanted to write, things I wanted to get done, and a whole September mapped out in my head. I thought I knew exactly where we were going and how we were going to get there.

Then the Lord reminded me that my plans are not always His plans in a big way that brought me to my knees more times than I could count. But Buttercup that is life and I made it through.

For more than a week, we dealt with problems with GreatfulMoments.com while we were moving things around and working through the changes with the site. There were moments when I was frustrated, worried, and honestly ready to throw in the towel.

I wondered, Why is this happening now? I had so much I wanted to accomplish. I wanted to get September started. I wanted to publish our holiday content. I wanted to work on our reviews, recipes, printables, family stories, and all the things we had planned.

Instead, I had to wait. And waiting is not always easy. I had to be patient. Oh, Lordy if you know me that is something I’m not. Especially when you are a planner like me. But while I was looking at everything that wasn’t getting done, the Lord was giving us something I didn’t realize we needed:

time. Time to rebuild things that needed rebuilding. Time to look at our plans again. Time to organize. Time to recover things we thought might be lost. Time to rethink how we wanted GreatfulMoments.com to move forward.

Time to work on things that might have continued to sit on the back burner if everything had gone exactly according to my original plans. Sometimes what feels like a setback is actually a pause for preparation.

And I had to remind myself that God was not surprised by any of this. He already knew. He knew the site would have problems. He knew I would become frustrated. He knew I would wonder whether all the work was worth it.

He knew what September was going to look like before I ever wrote the first item on my September list. And most importantly, He knew what my family needed before I did. He also knew Renee would be by my side through it all fixing the problems I couldn’t fix.

That is where I am choosing to rest today. We may have plans for September, but I want to hold those plans with open hands. My family has a lot we want to accomplish. Including rebuilding and strengthening GreatfulMoments.com.

We have our September content to finish. We have Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas content to work on. We have recipes, reviews, books, family stories, printables, teaching moments, reading challenges, and plenty of things we want to share.

We have our Christmas guides to build. We have the Interactive Christmas Gift Guide and the Christmas Shopping Guide because sometimes one guide simply isn’t enough! And we have plenty of ideas waiting for us.

But I don’t want to be so focused on checking things off my list that I forget to watch for what God is doing along the way. Because sometimes the Lord changes our plans for a reason.

Sometimes He closes a door. Trust me I learned that the hard way. Sometimes He makes us wait and wait and wait. That’s okay to because he has other plans for us. Sometimes He sends us down a road we never intended to take. Which can be both fun but frustrating at times.

And sometimes, after we have spent days asking, “Why, Lord?”, we finally look back and realize He was putting things in place that we couldn’t see. That’s what I am choosing to believe about this season.

I could have given up. I could have decided that everything was too much. I could have said, “Forget it. I’m done.” There were moments when I wanted to. Which I did a time or two but Renee kicked me in the butt and I waited.

And now I’m coming out of that waiting season stronger than I was before. Not because everything went according to my plan. It didn’t.

I’m stronger because I am learning again that I don’t have to know the whole plan when I know the One who does. The Lord knows my needs. He knows David’s needs. He knows Charlie’s needs. He knows the Dogs needs. He knows Gerald’s needs and he knows our family better than we know ourselves.

And He knows what GreatfulMoments.com needs to become.

So this September, I’m going to make my plans. I’m going to work hard. I’m going to write. I’m going to create. I’m going to rebuild. I’m going to celebrate the little victories. I’m going to keep moving forward.

But I’m also going to leave room for God to change those plans. Because if He changes them, there is probably something He sees that I don’t. And maybe that’s the encouragement someone else needs today, too.

If your plans have fallen apart, don’t assume the story is over. If you are waiting… If something isn’t working… If the door you expected to walk through suddenly closed… If you are looking at your calendar wondering how you are ever going to catch up…

Take a breath. Pray. Wait. And ask the Lord what He may be preparing while you are waiting. You don’t have to understand it all today. You just have to trust Him one day at a time.

September Prayer

Lord,

Thank You for reminding me that Your plans are bigger than mine. Forgive me for the times I become discouraged when things don’t happen the way I planned them. Help me remember that You see what I cannot see.

When I am frustrated, give me patience. When I am tired, give me strength. When I want to give up, remind me why I started. When my plans change, help me look for Your purpose instead of only seeing the problem.

Thank You for my family. Thank You for David and Charlie. Thank You for the home, the memories, the opportunities, and even the difficult days that teach us to lean on You. Thank you, for my friends, family and our pets.

Thank You for GreatfulMoments.com and for allowing me to continue building something that can share our family, our faith, our stories, our reviews, our recipes, our books, and the everyday moments that make up our lives.

Lord, I don’t know everything September will bring. But You do. So I place this month in Your hands. Guide our steps. Open the doors You want opened. Close the doors that need to remain closed.

Give us wisdom when we need to make decisions. Give us patience when we have to wait. And help me remember that a changed plan does not mean a failed plan. Sometimes it simply means You have something different in store.

I trust You with September. I trust You with our family. I trust You with our future. I trust you with our pets. I trust you with my friends and family. And I trust You with the things I don’t understand yet.

Amen.

A Little September Encouragement

If September isn’t going according to your plans, you’re not alone. Don’t throw in the towel just because the road looks different than you expected. Keep praying. Keep trusting. Keep doing what you can do today. And leave tomorrow in God’s hands. He knows what you need before you even know you need it.