Plan B

After two decades of living life smoothly, I realized that Plan B was a thing. God had a way of answering my prayers just in time, preventing me from considering other options. My 20th birthday began with a Plan B: NYSC or a Master’s degree? Naturally, I tried both at the same time, unconsciously making a choice. Afterwards, it became a matter of choosing the lesser evil or the greater good.

Choosing the lesser evil has always been a choice made out of fear. All the “what if” questions arise, followed by panic:
– What if I don’t get a better job?
– What if I don’t get married?
– What if everyone hates me?
– What if I’m making the biggest mistake of my life?

When choosing the lesser evil, Plan B never comes up because you take the first thing handed to you. Even though you know you could have made a better choice regarding a job, partner, or friendship, you’d rather settle. Sometimes you feel it was God’s plan because it came easily or was the first option. But I believe God often has different intentions because, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21)

With the lesser evil, it’s hard to see the bigger picture, but sometimes it’s also preparation for the greater good. I try to make the best of my lesser evil, viewing it as a stepping stone to the next level.

Choosing the greater good is a choice of hope and trust. We don’t necessarily have to understand how it will happen, but we have faith because we trust the process. The greater good may take time, but it eventually unfolds in a rewarding manner. This could mean starting a business or a new relationship after experiencing hurt.

Habakkuk 2:3 states, “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”

Now, back to making plans. There is always another way to emerge from a situation and become a better person. There is always another way to heal. When I realized that Plan A didn’t always work, it didn’t hurt as much because I always had a Plan B. People wondered why I remained calm in the worst situations. I knew deep down that I had often rushed to the lesser evils, which had consequences. However, I also knew I had a Plan B waiting as a backup for my decisions.

Plan B saw me through brokenness, rejections, pain, seasons, depression, poverty, homelessness, and redundancy.

Writing this made me realize that only one person can actually see you through your failed plans and worst moments. It’s safe to say that Plan B is Jesus, not as a second option, but as the first.

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