So, I originally wrote this back in 2011 on a day when I was having lunch with my wonderful husband and told me a story that he had heard on the way home. I thought it was touching and inspiring at the time and since I had decided to take a small break from studying, I took the time to write up a new post. In going through some of my older writings this spoke to me and I thought I would share it with you.

Years ago in Scotland, the Clark family had a dream. Clark and his wife worked and saved, making plans for their nine children and themselves to travel to the US. It had taken years, but they had finally saved enough money and had gotten passports and reservations for the whole family on a new liner to the US.

The entire family was filled with anticipation and excitement about their new life. However, 7 days before their departure, the youngest son was bitten by a dog. The doctor sewed up the little boy but hung a yellow sheet on the Clarks’ front door. Because of the possibility of rabies, they were being quarantined for 14 days.

The family’s dreams were dashed. They would not be able to make the trip to America as they had planned. The father, filled with disappointment and anger, stomped to the dock to watch the ship leave–without the Clark family. The father shed tears of disappointment and cursed both his son and God for their misfortune.

Five days later, the tragic news spread throughout Scotland–the mighty “Titanic” had sunk. The unsinkable ship had sunk, taking hundreds of lives with it. The Clark family was to have been on that ship, but because the son had been bitten by a dog, they were left behind in Scotland.

When Mr. Clark heard the news, he hugged his son and thanked him for saving the family. He thanked God for saving their lives and turning what he had felt a tragedy into a blessing.

Sometimes in life we deem the things that are a troubling us as a curse. Sometimes those cursings wind up being a blessing in the end. We can get too close to a situation and when events turn bad we think that it is a disaster but we are not always seeing the full picture. God in His omnipotence sees the whole picture and is always working behind the scenes to protect us and keep us. He has a greater plan for our lives than we could ever possibly imagine. The next time that things don’t turn out as you had planned, step back and think about it, just because it is not the plan that you had in mind does not mean that it is not God’s plan.

Remember Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope.”

God’s plan is always better than our own.