“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

What did you want to be when you were little? If you’re like me, you daydreamed about becoming lots of different things. I made two paintings in elementary school two years apart that showed what I wanted to be when I grew up: an artist the first year, a teacher the second. Every year, sometimes every day, I thought up new things I wanted to be when I was older.

My elementary school idea of what I’d grow up to be, complete with a change in eye color and a floating body (notice that my shoes aren’t attached to the rest of me).

It seems like even now I never stop dreaming about what direction my life will go next, but I have to remember not to get too carried away with myself. Proverbs 19:21 speaks to these plans in my heart, with a beautiful reminder that I’m not ultimately in charge (whew! that’s a relief).

With hindsight, there are plenty of times in my life that I’m grateful for God saying no, because He had something even better in mind for me. But I wasn’t very thankful when I was living in those moments. His “No” seemed difficult and even bewildering.

But now that I have seen bewilderment turn into blessing, I need to keep a firm grasp on the truth of Proverbs 19:21 as I work to fulfill the hopes and dreams and plans I have for my future.

The hope/dream/plan that looms largest for me right now is to become a published author of my book. Right now, the book is files on a computer, but someday, my dream is that those files will transform into a beautiful book on your shelf.

I’m not sensing a specific direction from God on this front, and so I’m not in a hurry to self-publish. I would love to find a publisher, but even more, I would love for God to fulfill His purposes for this book, even if what He has in mind looks vastly different from what I have in mind.

How about you? What plans fill your heart? Has God said “No” to you in the past, and you can now know He meant to bless you beyond your wildest imaginings? I’d love to hear your Proverbs 19:21 stories. Will you share them with me and my readers below?

I’ll leave you today with photos of my latest gardening plans, a whole flat of red rocket snapdragons that I put in the ground over the last few days. I hope they’ll all grow for many years and remind me of my plans and God’s purpose that prevails.

A flat of baby snapdragons

What I hope the new snapdragons will grow up to look like