Living Life With A Back-Up Plan…Good morning Hump Day readers. I have a friend who can crack me up in a second with the funniest stories, I love to be around her. She is smart with wisdom but not egotistical, and I am always impressed on how she has a back-up plan for her life. It reminds me of why I love “Hump Day” – here’s a few ‘camel’ statistics:

  1. Detail-oriented, strive for accuracy and excellence
  2. Your go-to when you want to get things done
  3. Dependable, loyal, and very practical
  4. Excellent emotional skills and emotionally balanced
  5. Has a great awareness and can sense and feel danger
  6. Has a great sense of humor and loves to play
  7. Is always prepared with a Plan A, a Plan B, and sometimes even a Plan C

OK, I could add to the list but yes, this is some of the main characteristics of…a Camel! This “traveling beast of the desert” is one of the oldest animals on the planet and is well-adapted to heat, doesn’t need to eat much or drink much, and is vital to commerce in so many developing nations.

The popularity of camels was elevated to almost “saint-status” when Geico used one in a commercial that has captured the hearts of people around the globe. It is funny and at the same time it sneaks in some of the facts above of the wisdom, humor, and intelligence of this animal. And who doesn’t wonder what God was up to in creating such an interesting creature, right? One hump or two, if you have a camel you have a friend for life and one that will constantly challenge you in a good way.

I watched a YouTube video that showed the intelligence of a camel’s “back-up plans.” It was truly astounding, and sometimes funny. Many know their daily routines and when it rains hard or the winds blow blinding sand or the merchant streets are backed up, they already have a plan for getting through and that indeed blows my mind!

Thus my question on this Hump Day: do you have back-up plans? Sometimes we mean well in planning for finances, children, education, etc, but often our plans can go awry or what we meant to do we forget to do. I am reminded of my Confirmation verse from Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Eternal, “plans for peace, not evil, to give you a future and hope—never forget that.” [The Voice]

Don’t you love what God does—provides for the plans we didn’t think about or never carried through. God’s plan for our lives is one that includes peace and not evil; it gives us hope for our future and what God promises always comes through. Do we always come through? We make our plans asking God for direction but we find ourselves walking on another path. It’s easy to get sucked into this world’s view that touches our lives in every way, creating in us a confusion that God’s plan does not have.

So, what do we do when our plans go awry and we are scattered in body, mind and soul? Again, let’s go back to Jeremiah 29:11-14: “At that time, you will call out for Me, and I will hear. You will pray, and I will listen.  You will look for Me intently, and you will find Me. Yes, I will be found by you,” says the Eternal, “and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations where you’ve been scattered—all the places where I have driven you. I will bring you back to the land that is your rightful home.”

There is our answer when our plains haven’t planned-out, we must call out to God and God will hear us—always. For me that is huge because people can let us down, we can let our own selves down, but never-never ever does God let us down or leave us. No matter where we wind up on our path of life God will restore us, God will gather us back together.

The profound words of God spoken to Jeremiah should be written on our hearts and minds, and maybe taped to the mirror so we remember them daily. Like the camel, we head out each day for work or play, travel, sports—we are on the move and we have a plan for what that day should be, but just then we blow a tire, we get a call that changes our life, we get stuck in traffic, and then there is always floods, fire, tornadoes, hurricanes—you get what I mean, things that are out of our hands and everything is turned upside-down.

Like the camel we need to seek God’s plan B, and then plan C, ready for whatever comes. Sometimes I think that is why God created these animals—to teach us life-lessons that remind us of the God-given gifts of intelligence, talent, humor, wisdom, and yes—the joy we have in walking God’s plan for our lives. It’s a big deal, it really is, because without a plan and without a guide to use that plan, everything will fall apart.

May your Hump Day have a “camel perspective”
–one that gives you plans for the rest of the week
and every day of your life.

And, when you cannot see that plan, may that
“camel perspective” remind you to call out to God
who will make those plans clear and guide you
back into a sense of peace of mind, giving you
hope and joy now and for the future ahead.