The Eraser

The sign caught my eye as I drove down the road.
It was on the front lawn of a small rural church.
Write your plans in pencil. Give God the eraser.
Those words gave me a lot to think about as I drove.

I was on one of my excursions for the soul.
I had errands to do, but mostly I drove to take in the scenery, to be alone, to think, to pray.
Those words gave me food for thought.

We go about our days as if we are in control.
It takes something to stop us to make us realize we are not.
The weather, a flat tire, a dead battery can delay or postpone our plans.
The loss of a loved one, or poor health can change the way we thought things would be.

We place our plans in our man-made cement.
We think they are set; yet God may very well have different plans for us.
Since He is God and I am not, His plans override mine.
Often, I’m glad they do; sometimes I don’t understand what He is doing.

Understand or not, I trust Him.

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins. (James 4:13-17)

If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.
Write your plans in pencil. Give God the eraser…so the sign said.

God is Sovereign.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

When my children go off to college, I give them a first aid kit.
It is not your typical first aid kit.
It is a first aid kit that has been modified greatly.

Inside the first aid kit they will find: a pencil, gum, a rubber band, a toothpick, a Band Aid, a white crayon, some plastic wrap, and a small Bible that fits in the palm of their hand.

Each of these items means something.
I wrote what each item suggests and included Scripture as well.

This is what they see when they open their first aid kit:

You are loved
Pencil: always list your blessings (James 1:17)
Gum: stick with it (Philippians 4:13)
Rubber Band: be flexible (Matthew 6:33)
Toothpick: pick out good qualities in others (Philippians 4:8)
Band Aid: heal hurt feelings (Ephesians 4:26)
White Crayon: remain pure (Psalm 119:9; Songs of Songs 2:7, 3:5, 8:4)
Plastic Wrap: wrap everything you do in prayer (Luke 18:1)
Bible: Psalm 119:33-37, 105

The first aid kit is very special to them.
The first aid kit has remained intact; the writing a bit faded, the gum probably stale.
The truth: TIMELESS.

God has gifted each of us with unique talents to glorify Him.
We think we have our lives all mapped out.
We think we have all our ducks in a row.
Our lives are His. The maps are His. The ducks are His.

As I thought of the church sign, I realized how glad I am that God has the eraser.
God is loving and He is just.
God is perfect and He is holy.
That Divine Balance makes Him a far better determiner of how things ought to be.

If Truth be told, we don’t GIVE God the eraser.
God already has the eraser and has the Sovereign Authority to use it.

Don’t write your plans down and tell God to bless them.
Ask Him what His plans are for you and your life and how you can best fulfill them.
Those plans are for His Glory, not our own notoriety.

Go ahead; write your plans in pencil.
Know that God holds the eraser in His hand.
God alone has the Sovereign authority to use it.

Do you trust Him with the eraser?