For I Know the Plans I Have for You

As a Certified Financial Planner®, I spend my days putting together financial plans for clients. People come to me for help with their financial matters, and together we sort through their goals, needs, and priorities to figure out how to arrive at those goals. I love the work, and every situation is unique. Every once in awhile, someone comes to me, pays to have me work on a plan with them, and then completely disregards the advice I have given them. They continue on their way, doing what they have always done, and are no closer to achieving the goals we discussed. One scenario I see a lot is when they come to me with a burden of debt. They have gotten into debt, spending more than they make, and have no interest in changing that behavior.

Recently I did such a plan, and I was so frustrated. Why did they not want to do what we had discussed, seeing very clearly they could lessen the strain they were under and follow the path we laid out? I was pondering this when it occurred to me; this must be how God feels. He has outlined in the Bible all they ways we are to follow him, serve him, and obey him, and yet all of us at some point choose different paths.

It may have been in just a spoken word or a small action, but we didn’t do the next right thing.  We have heard the right thing to do, we know the right thing to do, and we choose not to do it. He must get so frustrated with us!

One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you; plans to give you a hope and a future.” It occurred to me that God has put together a plan for me. However, I just might be making it a lot harder on myself if I am not following all the things I know to do and read in the Bible. I may be just like those clients that just say “Nope, I am going to keep doing what I have been doing, because I want to,”  only to discover that they continue to suffer the consequences of following their plan and not God’s plan.

Are you open to following the plan God has for you? Or do you think you know better? This can be in how you handle your money, your time, your words, or any aspect of your life.

Kristi L. Andersen is the principal of Kristi L. Financial Partners, LLC. (www.KristiLAndersen.com)  701 Fourth Avenue South, Suite 1500, Minneapolis, MN 55415. Securities offered through and Registered Representative of Cetera Advisor Networks LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Some Advisory services offered through AdvisorNet Financial. Cetera is under separate ownership from any other named entity.