For a planner like me, pivoting is not my favorite thing.

Yet, I can’t deny that some of the best memories and experiences of my life have come from a complete course correction or unexpected change of plans.

I don’t typically choose a word of the year, but 2024 seemingly chose one for me: PIVOT. That word sums up a lot of what happened last year. As a natural-born planner, I look back and laugh at my expectations vs the reality of how my life played out. And it’s a good sort of laugh, let me assure you.

Over the past five, six, seven (maybe) years, God has been working on my heart to let go of my own plans. And I’m learning it’s a life-long process — but not in a discouraging way. It’s a process that grows my relationship with God and builds character.

Romans 5:3-5 (NLT) assures us that:

³ We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. ⁴ And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. ⁵ And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

At the start of 2024, I already knew better than to hold too tightly to any plans I hoped would happen. It was a wise move because so much of what I planned last year either didn’t happen or didn’t happen at all the way I expected. (And if you’ve read any of my previous new years-ish blog posts, you’ll know this has been a common theme of my life for several years at least.)

I’ll spare you the details of my year, but know that the pivots made were sharp turns and surprisingly, I felt at peace with most of them — which is very unlike me.

Which means I’m growing and I’ll take it.

What Does It Mean to Give God Your Plans?

At the end of the day — well, more like the beginning of every day — God simply wants us to give Him our plans. This doesn’t guarantee our plans WON’T happen. It also doesn’t guarantee they WILL.

Giving God our plans means two things:

1. Trusting God with the outcome
2. Being content no matter what happens

READ MORE about letting go and letting God here.

I will be the first one to tell you that the two steps above do not come naturally. You can’t just will yourself to trust God and be content, and then expect the execution to be easy. It won’t be, and I don’t want to set you up for failure.

How to Trust God When It’s Hard

One major thing God has taught me over the years is that I’m not failing when things feel hard. In fact, it’s in the hard and uncomfortable times that I’m likely growing the most — if I allow myself to sit in the discomfort instead of trying to avoid it or deny it.

Avoiding discomfort is first and foremost IMPOSSIBLE. Trust me. I’ve tried and it only prolongs the inevitable and, in some cases, makes it even harder. The only way to overcome those hard moments — or seasons — is to settle in and face them. You don’t have to like them. You just have to choose to embrace them.

Secondly, denying that you are going through something hard, like a pivot, can be just as detrimental — to your health (mental, physical, spiritual), your relationships, and the overall outcome.

Denial can make you cling harder to your plans, power through in your own strength, and really make a mess of things, if I’m being honest. A bigger mess than you started, even.

I don’t want that for you. You, no doubt, don’t want that for you. And God absolutely hates that for you.

Two Key Things We Learn from Pivoting

Here are two things I can certainly say I’ve learned from embracing hard pivots and letting God take control.

1. How to Trust God More

When plans change, we need God. (Of course, we need Him even when they don’t!) God alone sees the future. He alone is equipped to help us through.

Maybe it’s an unexpected pivot that’s ultimately better for us, but we need help to accept it.

Maybe it’s a changed plan resulting from rebellion against God — either our own sin or someone else’s — and we need His strength to endure or repent and believe that He can still create beauty from any situation.

2. More God, Less Me

Pivoting requires a focus on God, not self. A self-centered focus will always fear losing control of the plan. And when we cling tightly and make it all about us, we miss the bigger picture — God’s eternal plan.

What’s the easiest way to fix our eyes on God? PRAY.

Yes, we need to talk to God. Tell Him everything. Feelings. Fears. Hopes. Desires. Struggles. All of it. Yes, we might be talking about ourselves, but we’re also learning to bring God into the conversation.

Prayer is seeking His guidance and direction. Prayer is acknowledging that we can’t control every detail of our lives. We can’t and we shouldn’t, because it’s not about us. It’s about Jesus and how we can help spread the truth of the Gospel.

Bible Verses to Remember When You Need to Pivot

Romans 8:28 (AMP) “And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.”

Joshua 1:9 (AMP) “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or dismayed (intimidated), for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Isaiah 26:3 (ERV) “God, you give true peace to people who depend on you, to those who trust in you.”

Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT) “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'”

Psalm 37:5 (NET) “Commit your future to the Lord. Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf.”

Proverbs 3:5-7 (ERV) “⁵ Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. ⁶ With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way. ⁷ Don’t trust in your own wisdom, but fear and respect the Lord and stay away from evil.”

Philippians 4:6-7 (ERV) “⁶ Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. ⁷ And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.”

Hebrews 12:2 (ERV) “We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne.”

A Prayer for the New Year

Here’s what I’m praying as this new year begins — though feel free to steal my prayer any day of the year!

Have at it, God. Ready or not, I know Your plans are better than my own for this next year.

Please help me stay out of Your way and let You do what only You can do.

I trust You, God.

“I do believe; help [me overcome] my unbelief.” Mark 9:24 (AMP)

Our futures will be filled with plans gone awry. That’s a given. It’s what we do when it happens that matters most. Processing each pivot with God, embracing each pivot with God, and rejoicing in each pivot with God is the key to a life of growth and purpose.

James 1:2-4 (ERV) “² My brothers and sisters, you will have many kinds of trouble. But this gives you a reason to be very happy. ³ You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering. ⁴ If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be.”