I thoroughly enjoy planning things. I like planning things so much I’ve turned it into my job. While my task list seems to change daily, essentially, I’m an event planner and organizer. I appreciate making lists, then checking off the things that I’ve accomplished; and like many people, I had drafted a plan for how my life was going to go. I was supposed to study hard, finish my Honours Specialization in English at Western in 4 years, maybe move on to a Masters, or find a good job, and move out of my parent’s home somewhere in there.

What I didn’t account for in my plan was a car accident in 2017 that left me with a concussion, whiplash and damage to my rotator cuff. A minor accident in the grand scheme of things, but one that ended up changing my plan completely. I failed a course – the first course I ever failed in my life (disclaimer:  it wasn’t the last either; sorry mom!) and struggled hard to finish the rest of my courses well that term. The following September, I was still unable to balance a full course load. The original 4 years of schooling have become 6 and the ability to achieve the Honours designation is long gone. Nevertheless, I will finish my degree by the end of 2020, Lord willing.

What I didn’t account for in my plan was COVID-19. Up until last week, things were going really well: I had a job that I loved (with a somewhat predicable schedule for the first time in years) and I had just signed a lease for my first apartment. Then, on Wednesday March 18^th, I was sent home from my job, indefinitely. I have guaranteed pay for a little while longer, but am preparing myself to be laid off, imminently. On March 24^th, I got a call saying that the apartment was no longer available to me, as the current tenant needs to stay in place due to a set-back caused by the coronavirus.

Along the way, there have been many, many other discrepancies and unforeseen circumstances. While none of these “setbacks” were in my plan, they were in His all along. And I know that there will be more to come. So, for each and every one of them, I thank God. It is a process of humility. Who am I to think that I know best? Who am I to question what the will of the Lord is? In all of this, the lesson that I’ve learned time and time again, is to hold my plans with an open hand. “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away” (Job 1:21). Surrendering my hopes and dreams to Him has been the greatest thing that I’ve done. For I know that what he has in store for me is far greater than I could ever imagine (Romans 8:28).

As of right now, I don’t know when I will be returning to work, or if I'll even have a job at the end of this and I don’t know when I’ll be moving into my apartment. More so than usual, it seems that every day is bringing with it new uncertainties and challenges that could loom over me, causing anxiety and fear. We do not know when this will all end, when we will be able to join together again, when we will be able to return to our “normal” lives.  Regardless of all of this, I’m okay. This situation is okay. No matter what the outcome may be, I know that we are all going to be just fine, because “whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8). I saw a tweet this week that read, “From heaven's perspective, all is going according to plan” – what a hope-filled sentence, that is! Deuteronomy 7:9 reminds us that we serve a faithful God – one who “keeps covenants and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.” If this time of isolation and social distancing becomes our new normal for months, it is all going to be okay.

While we do not know the particulars of tomorrow, we can bank on the fact that “the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is [His] faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). God is faithful – He will bring us out of this season.