Be Okay with a Day Change

Every Tuesday, I have plans. Whether it's going to the prayer room or helping at church, I love having a schedule. I love knowing where I'm going and what I'm doing. There is something satisfying about being productive, serving, and checking things off the list. It just brings me joy.

Tonight, pain got the best of me. As someone with Chronic pain issues, this isnt uncommon. Though its been more uncommon recently (which is a true blessing!!).

All day, my shoulders and neck have hurt to the point of tears. Every movement seemed to remind me that my body wasn't cooperating with my plans. It took more energy than I would like to admit to just sit up, move my head, breath at times. It was a struggle.

My stubborn self still wanted to go to the prayer room. My heart said yes. My mind said yes. My body said no.

After all, it's the prayer room. What better place could there be to spend the evening? In my mind, choosing worship over rest seemed like the obvious spiritual choice. It seemed to be the best combat to this spiritual warfare and body warfare.

But as I got ready to leave, I kept feeling a gentle pull in my spirit.

"Not today."

Honestly, that answer didn't make sense to me.

Lord, I'm going to pray. I'm going to worship. I'm going to honor You. Why would You tell me not to go?

Yet the nudge remained. And got stronger. And stronger. You know that feeling when you are about to do something that the Lord said no to doing but you are doing it anyway? That feeling.

Then I felt the Lord ask a question that stopped me in my tracks:

"Are you going for Me, or are you going for you?"

I immediately answered, "For You, of course."

But the more I sat with the question, the more conviction settled into my heart.

Because if I was being honest, it wasn't really for Him. It was to stay busy. It was to feel productive. It was to avoid sitting with my pain. It was to run from my emotions instead of bringing them before Him.

Suddenly, I thought about Mary and Martha.

Martha wasn't doing anything wrong. She was serving. She was working. She was accomplishing good things. She was giving her version of worship to the King. Yet Jesus gently reminded her that Mary had chosen what was better in that moment—not because work was bad, but because His presence mattered more than productivity.

I wonder how often I become Martha.

Not because I'm serving with bad motives, but because I can become so focused on doing things for Jesus that I forget how to simply be with Him. So instead of heading to the prayer room, I stayed home.

I tackled the small projects that had been neglected for far too long.

I took the trash to the curb. I organized a shelf.

I put away laundry that had been folded but living on the floor for days. (If we're being honest, this is one of my least favorite chores.)

I paired socks—which, strangely enough, I actually enjoy.

Nothing glamorous. Nothing ministry-related.

Nothing that would make for an impressive social media post.

Just ordinary tasks.

And somewhere in the middle of those ordinary moments, I felt peace. As I finished putting away the laundry, I felt the Lord prompting me to write this.

Why?

Because I don't think I'm the only one who struggles with this. I've written before about the importance of rest and listening to your body. But this felt different.

This wasn't a lesson about doing nothing. This wasn't a lesson about taking a nap. This was a lesson about being okay when God changes your plans.

The phrase kept coming to mind:

Be okay with a day change.

I once heard someone say that people don't actually hate change. We love good change. We just don't like bad change.

That describes me perfectly.

I like order. I like schedules. I like knowing exactly how the day is supposed to unfold. And when those plans change—even in small ways—I get flustered.

If I planned to go to the prayer room and don't, I wrestle with FOMO. If I intended to run an errand and don't get to it, I feel anxious. If the day doesn't go according to plan, my mind keeps circling around what should have happened instead of embracing what is happening.

But tonight, the Lord reminded me of something important:

A changed plan is not always a bad plan. Sometimes it's a necessary one.

Sometimes God redirects us not because we're heading toward something wrong, but because He's leading us toward something better.

This week is already full. Between serving at church and heading straight to WWII Weekend in Reading, Pennsylvania, after work on Thursday, there won't be many quiet moments.

I didn't need another busy evening.

I needed room to breathe.

I needed space for the pain to settle.

I needed my heart to slow down.

Most importantly, I needed to remember that my value isn't found in how much I accomplish for God. My value is found in belonging to Him.

So if your day changes today, don't immediately assume something has gone wrong.

Maybe God is protecting your strength.

Maybe He's preparing you for what's ahead.

Maybe He's inviting you to notice something you would have missed otherwise.

Or maybe He's simply reminding you that He is Lord over your schedule too.

The prayer room will still be there next week. The work will still get done. The world will keep turning.

And sometimes the holiest thing we can do is release our grip on the plan and trust the One who holds the day.

Be okay with a day change.

God often speaks in the interruptions we try so hard to avoid.