By Teddy Joseph
Robert Burns, a Scottish poet, learned early how difficult it is to make plans for the future. He was born on January 25, 1759, in a humble two-room cottage on the river Donn.
The son of a farmer, he grew up knowing the meaning of struggle and fruitless dreams. Then Mr. Burns died and Robert, the eldest son, had to take over the farm. At the age of 16, he described his life as “the cheerless gloom of a hermit and the unceasing toil of a galley slave.”
Robert wanted very much to go to school but there was no time for that. He did learn to read and then proceeded to educate himself. He often ate his meals with a book in one hand. He carried books in his pockets so that he could study while driving the cart.
Robert whistled Scottish folk melodies while following his plow and soon came up with original poems to fit the tunes. He wrote many poems such as “Auld Lang Syne” and “To a Mouse”.
It is always exciting when a new year arrives. When we face the future seriously, we often feel anxious. Sometimes, the resolutions that we place in our minds for our future endeavours remain within and are not lived out in life.
The plans that we put forward at the beginning of the year either come to fruition through consistency, management and determination or it withers away into nothingness due to inaction or complacency. We attempt our hardest to implement these plans, but circumstances and unforeseen variables get the best of us.
Robert Burns states that the best-laid plans of mice and men often go astray, and this may be true of mice and men.
How true is this statement for mankind, that our plans may falter?
They may fail. However, though we may be distracted and anxious about completing our goals, it is not true with God, who says, “I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it” (Isa. 46:11).
When we place our plans before the Lord, instead of being anxious we become calm, instead of being distracted we focus on how the Lord directs our paths.
Instead of being complacent, with the Lord’s help we become active in fulfilling our goals as the Lord leads us. For God has a purpose for our lives and His plans are sure. Those plans will not come back to Him void.
A prolific writer wrote “In His loving care and interest for us, often He who understands us better than we understand ourselves refuses to permit us selfishly to seek the gratification of our own ambition. He does not permit us to pass by the homely but sacred duties that lie next to us. Often these duties afford the very training essential to prepare us for a higher work. Often our plans fail that God’s plans for us may succeed.”
As we face the new year, let us be more confident in knowing that our plans which we give to God, will come to pass and bring success because the Lord Himself has said it would.
~Teddy Joseph is the pastor at the Stettler and Sedgewick Seventh-day Adventist Church.