Learning To Flex

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Learning To Flex

Proverbs 27:1 - “Don’t brag about what will happen tomorrow. You don’t really know what will happen then” (NCV).

I had great expectations for the day. However, before I could leave the house, the phone rang numerous times, delaying my start. It rained during my drive, slowing my traveling time. The motel where I made reservations was filled with high school athletes, so I had to hunt for different accommodations. When I finally found a vacancy, they gave me an outside room in a dark alley. It was sub-zero weather, I was alone, and had requested an inside room, so I asked to be moved. I dropped the key to my new room down a crevice in my van and spent a half-hour trying to retrieve it. Meanwhile, my growling stomach reminded me I had not eaten. On the way to the restaurant, traffic snarled to a stop. Two police cars and an ambulance blocked the intersection. A wreck! Another delay! “This is not how I planned it!” I thought.

We can make plans, but we cannot guarantee the outcome. Learning to stay flexible reduces our anxiety when things don’t go the way we expected. When we acknowledge our disappointment and adjust our expectations, the knot in our stomach relaxes. Then we are ready to enjoy ourselves and others.

Lord, sometimes things don’t go the way I’ve planned.
When that happens, help me learn to flex.

Joan C. Webb