by Deb Haggerty @DebHaggerty
How many times do we rush blindly into our days, perhaps breathing a brief “God guide me” on our way out of the bedroom to get coffee and dive into our plans? I was reminded recently that our ideas may not be the plans God has for us.
I was scheduled for a left knee replacement March 10, 2020. All the pre-op tests were clear—I breezed through them. I was hoping to be scheduled for the first surgery slot so I could go back to sleep. I had to report at 6 a.m. and I am NOT a morning person.
My husband took me to the hospital and dropped me at the front door so he could go park the car. I felt a bit light-headed but thought the feeling was from lack of sleep. When they called me to the front desk, I was really off balance. They offered, and I took, a wheelchair for transport to the prep area. I was very glad to get back in bed.
For once, the nurse was able to place the IV easily. I lay there in bed feeling strange. I knew something was not right. The nurse took my blood pressure once, twice, then said the pressure was high, which was unusual for me. She said she’d be right back. When she came back, she told me I was in A Fib—ultra fast, very erratic heartbeat. The anesthetist came by and said they’d have to wait and see—they couldn’t do the surgery with my heart in A Fib. The ortho doctor called my cardiologist who told him in no uncertain terms to cancel the surgery.
The moment the surgery was cancelled, my heart went back into normal sinus rhythm. They took me to the emergency room to do some tests to make sure I was okay and didn’t have a blood clot, but everything was perfect. Instead of knee surgery and two days in the hospital, I was sent home.
But what else was going on? The COVID 19 virus is rampant in the world. People my age with underlying conditions are at the highest risk for contracting the coronavirus. I was at peace throughout the entire process, certain God was in control and that it was his intention that I not have surgery that morning. He protected me from any possibility of picking up an infection or the coronavirus at the hospital or during the physical therapy which would have followed.
As Scripture says in James 4:13-15 (ESV) “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
When your plans go awry, think of my story and know God may have better ones for you. Be at peace, wait and work on your craft until his direction for you becomes clear. James also says in chapter 1, verses 2-4 “Count it all joy, my brothers [and sisters], when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
God promises he will always be with us, so have faith and remember, God’s timing is always perfect.
It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV
This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).


About the author: Deb Haggerty is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Elk Lake Publishing, Inc., a Christian publisher that “Publishes the Positive.” An author, blogger, and professional speaker, Deb has been writing stories for over forty-five years. In 2019, she released two books: Experiencing God’s Love in a Broken World—A Spiritual Journey, co-written with her husband of thirty-seven years, Roy, and These Are the Days of My Life, her memoir (with a bonus section of business tips). Follow Deb at Facebook.com/debhgrty or her blog, positivegrace.com.
Join the conversation: Has God ever changed your plans? What happened?