How to Respond Well When Plans Change

Traveling internationally has taught me some valuable life lessons about responding well when plans change. Delayed and cancelled flights, missing suitcases, and late shuttles—they’ve all provided learning opportunities to grow.

Each time something happens beyond my control, I face a choice: resist the change or rest amidst the change. 

The choice to either resist or rest applies to far more than messed up travel plans. It applies to life in general because life never goes exactly to plan. Can I hear an ‘amen?’

Change happens to everyone

Here are few examples from the lives of people I know:

A couple make retirement plans, but his health fails before they can enjoy them.

A young couple dreams of having a large family but are unable to conceive. 

A family must relocate for work, but they can’t find a home suitable for their needs within their price range. Their only option is to divide and conquer. The husband leaves and rents a motel suite while the wife and kids hold the fort at home until they find the right house.

A couple plan a picture-perfect outdoor wedding, but the weather doesn’t cooperate, and they’re forced indoors, into a facility that’s far from what they’d imagined as the backdrop for exchanging vows.

A family immigrates from a war-torn country. The organization that assisted their travel promises specific employment suited to the husband’s skills. When the family arrives, the organization says the job has already been filled.

Change is a part of life. Some seem trivial compared to others, but they all affect us in some way.

Typical responses to change

We all have stories about plans changing due to circumstances beyond our control, and everyone responds differently. Perhaps you’re facing change right now, and you’re feeling overwhelmed or frustrated.

Maybe you’re excited and anticipating good things ahead. You might be thinking, It’s about time! Maybe you’re dreading it and dragging your feet, or perhaps you’re resolved to weather it well.  

It’s only natural that some folks cope with change more easily than others. Our upbringing, life experiences, and genetic make-up all contribute to our response. Some people are naturally optimistic; others, not so much. Regardless of your tendency, it helps to remember these words from Scripture: 

The heart of a man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

How to respond well when plans change

So, how can we respond well to change, especially if it’s a difficult one?

First, acknowledge that change can be unnerving, but we can rise above fear when we remember that God is sovereign. The changes we face are a surprise for us but not for Him. He orders our steps and knows the path we take.

Second, we can respond well when we remember, too, that God’s intent toward us is always good. We can trust His heart toward us because His love runs deep.

Third, admit that we don’t see the whole picture as God does. He may have initiated a change to protect us or to draw us into a sweeter, more intimate understanding of who He is. Let’s surrender to His wisdom.

Change of any sort provides learning opportunities for us to grow in faith, so let’s not resist it. Let’s ask the Lord to guide us through it and remember this: God is in control, so we don’t have to be.