The Plan (I suppose)

In my teenage years and in my early twenties, I confidently scoffed at those who told me I needed to find Jesus.  They would tell me that he is the only way to successfully navigate through this life.  I, on the other hand, believed that we are in charge of our own lives with the choices we make.  After all, I had built my own outcomes with hard work and focus on things I wanted to achieve.  I recall explaining to a classmate at Baylor that God is created by man to replace what is not understood, which is why the ancient Greeks had a god for so many things - love, war, seas, thunder, light.  These were things of which they had no academic knowledge.  So, they invented a god or goddess to fill in the holes.

I don't have those same beliefs anymore.  I actually keep my personal beliefs to myself these days, so I won't submit those into this discussion.  But I've very recently begun to fancy the concept of a pre-arranged plan.  I'm not sure if I genuinely believe it, but it's no less plausible than anything else.  When my wife and I watched The Adjustment Bureau recently, I found myself deeply engaged in the concept in the film.  Throughout the movie, I asked myself the obvious question: What if we are not actually captains of our own destiny, but living a pre-arranged plan instead?  If nothing else, it's an entertaining idea to contemplate.

I began to feel a distant calm when I considered this idea on a personal level.  Lately, I have been experiencing a bit of frustration with regard to my career.  Despite my most sincere efforts, none of my applications have resulted in interview offers.  But if you consider that some plan for me may exist and any deviations from that plan are quickly adjusted back, it removes the idea that there is something wrong or unappealing about my résumé.

I have wondered about the uncanny timing of my wife dogsitting her parents' dog.  If she had not been right there, right then, walking that dog, then I would not have seen her when I parked my car after class.  And that means I wouldn't have asked her out on a date.  I also think about a couple of near misses I've had while driving.  I have often wondered how it was possible that I came out uninjured or without impacting anything at all. And the elimination of my position at the bank -- just a month after passing my CFI practical exam.  It's as if the plan for me was to stop the office job and begin my path as a pilot.  And let's not forget about how badly I wanted to fly for ExpressJet.  If that had come true, I would have ended up a furloughed first officer.  So, if I can stop myself long enough to sit down and really think about things, I find it all so fascinating.

I suppose I shouldn't be so impatient with how things unfold.  I should take the appropriate opportunities as they present themselves and continue working hard.  But I'll say this:  If there is actually a pre-arranged plan for me, I sincerely hope it doesn't leave me flying a SAAB 340 for a financially challenged regional airline, because I think that would be a bad plan.