Refresh: Learning to thrive with Plan B living.

By Ray Pritchard

My wife happened to hear a fascinating comment on the radio when we were driving recently. She scribbled it down so I could look at it later.

"The key to success in life is how well you adapt to Plan B."

That simple sentence holds a world of truth. So many of us go through life frustrated because we're still working on Plan A. That's the one where everything works out, your marriage lasts forever, your children grow up without any problems, you climb to the top of the career ladder, everyone loves you and no one hates you, and all your dreams come true.

Unfortunately, Plan A rarely pans out. Life isn’t that simple or that easy. Check out Exodus 13:17-21. When the children of Israel left Egypt, God did not lead them to the Promised Land by the shorter coastal route. No doubt there was grumbling and murmuring. Why go the long way? Answer: The Philistines lived along the coast, and God wanted to spare the Israelites from having to fight them and be tempted to return to Egypt. What seemed like a detour turned out to be for their benefit. In this case, Plan B was better.

Meanwhile, people who are frustrated by the failure of Plan A are overtaken by the folks who have decided to make Plan B work instead. What’s Plan B? It’s the reality that your divorce is final, and your marriage is over. Your first career choice was a mistake, and now it’s time to start again. You don’t have the money to buy the bigger house you want. It’s the truth that you have cancer, and your future is uncertain. It’s knowing some of your children are far from the Lord. It’s the reality that your dreams aren’t going to come true, at least not in the way you expected.

What will you do now?

Here are three suggestions for those who feel a bit overwhelmed by circumstances: First, embrace change as a natural part of life. Solomon says as much when he writes, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under Heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). If you live long enough, you'll eventually see it all — birth and death, war and peace, building up and tearing down, winning and losing, loving and hating. You can fight change, but you can't stop it.

Second, embrace your circumstances and make the best of them. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Life is hard for all of us, but it’s much harder when we grumble because we don’t like where we are.

Finally, embrace the only Person Who never changes. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Leaders, friends, and children come and go, and our careers take many twists and turns. But Jesus Christ never changes! Anchor your life in Him, and you can face the future without fear.

Is Plan A not working out? Don’t give up. Jesus loves to help Christians who use Plan B to serve Him.

Dr. Ray Pritchard serves as president of Keep Believing Ministries, an Internet-based community serving Christians in 225 countries. He pastored churches in Los Angeles, Dallas, and Chicago for 26 years and has written more than 25 books. He and his wife, Marlene, have been married for 39 years. They have three sons, two daughters-in-law, and four grandchildren.