TALES FROM THE SHIRE

Changed Plans

So that I would look cute for the Christmas events, I booked a haircut the very afternoon the semester ended. Going just a half day for finals, I had time to come home and throw in some laundry and do a couple of other things before heading back to town from the boonies.

One of my students was being officially adopted and his mom sent a link to join in the fun virtually. It was scheduled for the half hour I would be driving, so I had a plan. (There’s your first clue, right?)

I would leave early to get into town in time to link up online and watch the proceedings in the parking lot, then waltz in for my haircut right on time.

Just as I got to civilization I noticed a van and trailer in the ditch, partially blocking traffic in the other westbound lane. Cars headed west were oozing by and suddenly traffic stopped in my eastbound lane. Suddenly!

“Stop! Stop! Stop!” I shouted. “No! No! No!”

Whew! I stopped… but the truck behind me did not. BAM!

I readied my phone camera to capture a license plate in case the driver tried to escape. No need. We both pulled over as soon as we could and did all the necessary calls. She called her dad and the police. I called to see if I could show up late for my hair appointment and she called to reset her doctor’s appointment she had been hurrying to.

She and her parents had to change plans to get her to her new military duty station on time several states away. I had to change plans to add body shop estimates to a busy next few days.

Plans.

This time of year I wonder about Mary and Joseph’s plans. Mary didn’t plan to be pregnant before marrying Joseph until an angel visited her. Joseph didn’t plan on keeping pregnant Mary around until an angel spoke to him in a dream.

They may have planned a nice at home birth until they had to take care of census business in another town four or five days walk away. They probably planned a normal, small town Jewish life, until Joseph had another angelic dream that led him to take his little family to Egypt.

And the Magi planned to find a Baby King in Jerusalem until King Herod, who had to consult others regarding prophecy, sent them to Bethlehem. The Magi planned to return to King Herod with news of the baby until they were warned in a dream to take a different route home.

The shepherds didn’t plan on running into Bethlehem until an angel told them exactly where to find the Baby King.

Herod planned to get rid of the Baby King until, well, until he died.

Major last minute changes in human plans fell into place for God’s Plan.