The Lord's Times Table: Surrendering the Plan

How many of us, fresh from youth and the heady rush of potential, have meticulously charted a course? A timeline of milestones, a vision of the future so concrete it felt like a prophecy? We pore over details, striving for control, believing that careful planning is synonymous with righteousness. And then life, as it invariably does, throws a wrench in the works. The timeline crumbles. The vision fades. Disappointment settles in, and we wonder, “Where did I go wrong?”

Jenn Larson’s recent devotional at BYU-Idaho, shared through LDS Business College, offers a balm for that weary soul. She recounts her own experience, the frustration of a life diverging sharply from the plan she’d envisioned at eighteen. The expectation of temple marriage, college graduation, and children by a certain age—all neatly packaged and delivered—gave way to a reality she hadn’t anticipated. The temptation to rail against the injustice, to lament the lost years, is a familiar one.

But it's not the deviation from the plan that’s central to her testimony; it's the recognition that these unexpected detours, these “rocky” and “frustrating obstacles,” were essential to her growth. She writes, “with the wisdom of time I can see why each of these most difficult sections of my journey were necessary to repair me for the eventual blessing.” This echoes the profound counsel of President Kimball: “We must learn to accept the Lord’s timing, even when we don’t understand it.”

Her early experiences with prayer, recounted with disarming honesty, are particularly poignant. As a child, fearing vulnerability, she retreated into a self-reliant ritual of singing “I Am a Child of God” to soothe her nightmares. The subsequent misconception that prayers were a burden, a drain on Heavenly Father’s resources, is a subtle but pervasive error. It reflects a desire for independence, a reluctance to fully surrender. Geoffrey R. Holland’s words— “God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams”—serve as a powerful corrective.

This isn't a novel concept. Consider the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). The Lord doesn't fault the servant who buried his talent out of fear, but he does commend the one who risked and returned what he had. Similarly, our carefully constructed plans, our rigid expectations, can become a form of burying our talents—preventing us from experiencing the full measure of His blessings.

The key, as Sister Larson so eloquently testifies, lies in surrender. Not a passive resignation, but an active yielding of our will to His. It’s a recognition that His “times table” is different from ours, that His perspective extends beyond the confines of our limited understanding. It requires faith—not just in His power, but in His love.

The Restoration isn’t merely about new scripture or new ordinances; it’s about a renewed relationship with a loving Father who desires our happiness. It's about trusting that even when the path is obscured, He is guiding us, refining us, preparing us for something greater than we can presently imagine. Let us examine our own carefully laid plans, and with humility, ask: Where might I be holding on too tightly? Where might I be resisting His guidance?

Consider the admonition in Isaiah 40:31: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not be faint.” Waiting isn’t idleness; it's a posture of faith, a willingness to receive His direction.

What lessons have you gleaned from unexpected detours in your own journey? Share your insights and experiences with the community.