I have an addiction to planning.

    Okay, maybe addiction is too strong of a word, but my need to plan does run deep, especially when I have a lot on my plate. During the school year specifically, my planner is my best friend. You could call me a frequent flyer in the daily section of my planner, filling it with to-do lists, reminders, and ideas.

    My medium-sized planner has always worked great, but with this year being junior year, I think I need a bigger planner. Junior year is filled with new challenges: more homework, taking SATs and ACTs, applying for scholarships, and looking into colleges. By the end of the week, not only are the Monday through Friday sections filled to the brim, but also the margins and the Saturday and Sunday sections. Who even uses the Saturday and Sunday sections? Me, apparently.

    I’ve always been an obsessive-compulsive planner. I have stacks of old journals decorated with pom poms and glitter that are jam-packed with plans for parties I never threw and sleepovers I never actually had. I would plan every theme party I could come up with just in case I actually had a reason to throw them.

    Now I hate to admit it, but sometimes life doesn’t give you time to make a plan. Sometimes, loved ones leave and don’t look back. Sometimes, a storm rips through and leaves people helpless. Sometimes, friends decide they would rather be with anyone but you. Sometimes, we make hard decisions and the people closest to us disagree to a point where they never speak to us again.   

    Sometimes, parents decide they don’t love each other anymore and walk away from their vows. Sometimes, our worlds fall apart and life seems completely hopeless. Despite all of these things, I have hope.

    I have hope because I believe in a God who saves and protects. I believe that he is the answer to all of these tragedies and disasters because his love is greater than any trials I might face.

    I know that he is always with me and will never leave me because I have felt his presence. I have seen him answer my prayers even after it seemed like he wasn’t listening. I have seen his goodness in the middle of situations that seem hopeless.

    In a very recent example, this summer I came home from summer camp to the news that my grandpa wasn’t going to last much longer. The next day, my family flew out to Virginia to see him one last time, and I watched the grandpa I have known and loved for my whole life slowly slip away. I didn’t understand why he had to go in such a painful way, but God gave me an overwhelming sense of peace about it. God reminded me how he uses broken and hopeless situations for good.

    When life throws things like that at me, and I don’t have any time to plan, I know I can trust in God’s plan because I’ve felt and seen it before. He has a way of turning terrible situations into good. He never abandons me, no matter how many mistakes I make or how alone I might feel. I have seen his faithfulness, and I know I can trust him.

     It doesn’t matter what’s happening in my life. Life is filled with things I have no control over. There are days, weeks, and sometimes even months that feel endlessly hopeless. But because I believe in God’s faithfulness, I know that he will take care of me no matter what. Whether situations are expected or unexpected, planned or not, I always have hope.