Best Laid Plans

We are ruined by our own stupidity, though we blame the Lord.

– Proverbs 19:3

“The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray,” wrote poet Robert Burns. And no matter how well we prepare, stuff happens. When it does, it can lead to disappointment — or much worse. Just ask the Coca-Cola executives about their disastrous product known as New Coke.

Back in the 1970s and 80s, Coca-Cola and Pepsi were engaged in an intense conflict to win the hearts, minds, and tastebuds of American consumers. The press dubbed the companies’ marketing efforts The Cola Wars.

The Pepsi Challenge is probably the best-known battle of the conflict. It was a series of TV commercials depicting head-to-head taste test comparisons between the two colas. Time after time, Pepsi was the people’s choice. And within a few years, Pepsi’s sales overtook Coke’s, which led to one of the greatest marketing blunders of all time: the reformulation of tried-and-true Coca-Cola into New Coke.

Consumers didn’t like it. And after plummeting sales and more than 400,000 letters of complaint, Coke’s executives admitted their mistake, reintroduced the beverage’s original formula (called Coca-Cola Classic), and eventually won back their audience. Now fast-forward nearly 40 years, and Coca-Cola remains America’s leading carbonated soft drink company with a volume share of 46.3%. Pepsi ranks second at 24.7%.

We all make plans that result in varying degrees of success or failure. And we’ve also felt from time to time like our circumstances have gotten out of hand. Maybe you feel like that today — and for good reason. But believe it or not, God is in control of the situation.  

This is a fundamental truth that every Christ-follower should embrace. But one reason that we don't feel his control is because we can't see the big picture. We don’t know the life-changing people and situations that he’ll introduce to the mix. We also don’t have his vantage point of knowing what’s around the corner and miles up the road. Moreover, it’s hard for us to see a greater purpose in our lives when we're going through the pain of unemployment, lingering illness, family problems, or even death. But God IS in control. And for those who trust and follow him, he offers this assurance:

"Before I made you in your mother's womb, I chose you,” says our Creator. “Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

Have your best-laid plans led to frustration and depression? Don’t lose hope. God knows what we need — and he knows it long before we ask him for help. And when our plans align with his purpose, success is on the horizon … even if it's not how we envisioned it.