When Our Best Laid Plans Don't Work Out
On Sunday January 18th, Grimaldi Martinez announced to the NBV congregation that after much prayer and discussion with our church leadership he and his wife Celine had had a change of heart and decided to leave Brooklyn and pursue ministry elsewhere. The following is my address to our congregation in response…
 The Martinez’s decision to move on is not the result of a conflict or crisis. No one’s been fired. They’re not leaving because there’s something wrong with our church. Although there is sadness and disappointment there’s no hard feelings. No one’s angry. But nevertheless this is hard. Anytime friends part it’s hard…
This decision is based solely on what Grimaldi and Celine think is best for their family. Our church leadership and I are in agreement. We’re one hundred percent behind them. We deeply appreciate all they’ve contributed. They’ve been a blessing to our church. We’re committed to what’s best for them and helping them transition into the next season of their lives. This is simply what happens so many times in life: things don’t work out the way we planned. We part as friends, and family…
Life is full of Plan B’s, times when our best laid plans, our “Plan A”, doesn't work out. Plan A is always easier because it’s our preferred future, our dream. It’s what we’ve prepared for and usually what we’re good at. Plan B, on the other hand, is hard for us. It’s a fallback position after disappointment. More like a life raft. Not what we intended when we started out. Not what we expected. Not what we prepared for. Maybe not even what we’re good at. When the Martinez’s announced their decision to leave my initial reaction was, “Oh no, we blew it! How did we get this so wrong?” But as I listened I grew strangely peaceful. Afterwards I found out the rest of the team had the same reaction.
I realize that Plan B’s are usually (not always) a result of a flawed Plan A. But Plan B’s don’t necessarily mean something’s gone terribly wrong or that God has dumped us. He works in mysterious ways. The Bible reveals a God who does his best work when he doesn’t show up the way you thought he would; when Plan A appears to have failed and you have to move to Plan B. Israel found that out in the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. David found that out as a fugitive from Saul on his way to becoming king. The Twelve found that out as their dreams were shattered by the crucifixion. The apostle Paul found that out sitting in prison…
We all face Plan B's, because so much of life doesn’t turn out the way we thought it would. We have all of these plans but no one ever dreams they won’t work out. You face all of these situations in life – a move from Maine to Brooklyn, a career, a marriage, family – that don’t turn out the way you hoped they would. In essence they seem like Plan B's to us. Now obviously I don't believe God sees it that way, but for us, from a human standpoint, they feel like our dreams have been shattered. But not to God…
So, if surprises in life are a given, is there ever a "Plan B" with God or was that really the plan all along? I’m not a theologian but I think there’s some truth to this. At least that’s our leadership team’s take on it. God’s somehow sovereignly and mysteriously working out his will for our church and the Martinez family in a way we would have never chosen. But we trust in a good God who knows what’s best for us and has things under control.
Nevertheless Plan B’s are tough to swallow. They make us angry; lose sleep over them; they shake our confidence and cause us to question ourselves; feel like failures. But I’ve learned that if we respond to them correctly these can also be teachable moments and a catalyst for spiritual growth. Plan B’s can become a way of encountering God in a fresh new way that our Plan A would have missed. A way of discovering that he’s powerfully present and active in our lives and community, in a way we never were aware of before.
For instance, sometimes God in his wisdom and mercy doesn’t let our Plan A work out, forcing us to consider a different way – a Plan B. It’s a way that we have less control over; a way that requires more dependence and trust in him but actually brings us closer to him. It doesn't take away the disappointment, but it helps us reframe it. It helps us understand and see what’s going on through a different lens that brings hope. That’s the sort of thing that’s happening with our team. Rather than being a setback, Plan B (whatever that turns out to be) is taking on an air of expectancy – as if something better that up to now has been hidden by Plan A is about to unfold (at least that’s the way it feels right now…)
When our plans don’t work out the way we think they should it causes us to examine ourselves. This is another good thing. This is really God’s grace at work. Until we experience this type of disappointment we live unexamined, mediocre lives. It’s not until we’re humbled and forced to move to Plan B that we seek God with a new desperation and actually wake up to the story of God that’s actually going on in us and through us that we’ve been somehow missing. Although Plan B may be more difficult, our relationship with him deepens. Suddenly new creative possibilities for our lives and community open up. With death comes resurrection: “…unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” (John 12:24)
We believe this is one of those teachable moments for us here at the NBV - an important opportunity for spiritual growth. Our Plan A has “died”, so we’re trying to be careful how we respond. We don’t know exactly what God has in store for us or what Plan B will look like yet, but as I said, we’re optimistic. We’ve come up with a process that we think is wise:
1) End well - Help the Martinez family move on as best we can
2) Evaluate - Enter a period of discerning what lessons can be learned and what God is speaking to us about our church’s future
3) Embrace the new - Making the adjustments and changes that are necessary in order to move forward into the future God is leading us into as a community together
This won’t happen overnight. We promise to keep you well informed so you can participate and help in this process. We’re in this together…
Let me conclude with this thought: I wonder could it be that Plan B turns out to be God’s Plan A for us? I think so. God is in control. He’s been in control of the NBV all along. Using everything – our prayers and worship, our hard work and service, even our missteps and setbacks – to bring about our ultimate good, his Plan A for our lives. We don’t know why this plan didn’t work out. But the leadership team and I are sure this is God’s grace at work for the good of everyone involved. I’m not promising you this is going to be an easy time. We’re in a time of transition. Transitions are difficult and challenging but they can be exciting times that bring us together and cause us to grow as well.
So hang in there. The most helpful thing you can do is pray for God’s clarity and wisdom so we can move forward into this new year of surprises together.
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