It’s funny how old metaphors can still be applicable to us today. “The best laid plans of mice and men,” originated in a poem by Robert Burns, titled “To a Mouse.” The poem was an ode to the poor little mouse who worked so hard to build a nest, only to have it destroyed by some kind of pest control. Later on, the phrase was coined in a book by John Steinbeck, “Of Mice and Men.” An old Yiddish proverb is also quite appropriate to this quote. “Man plans – God laughs.” What is a Meta for (metaphor) anyway?

Monday is a good day to plan for the week. We make lists – forget where the list is – do things on a wing and a prayer – try to muddle through with some sort of semblance to that original list – or wait for next Monday and try again. When we get to be my age, we forget about lists – do the task when we are up to it physically – have someone else do it for us – forget about the task and take a nap. Seriously, the plans we make, often do go awry. And what does awry mean? According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the word “Awry,” means, “not in the right way or “askew.” So, what does askew mean? Out of alignment or crooked. In other words, the plans we make are often subject to going the wrong way.

Trusting the plan of our Creator, for all elements of our lives, will give us a much-needed lesson in letting it go. There is another metaphor which states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. It’s called Murphy’s Law, but that could lead to a completely different post. The point is this. God has given us a free will to think things through – to organize our thoughts and tasks – to set an agenda, to use our intellect, but the One who really controls everything on this planet has already designed a perfect plan for our lives. Because of that, we can rely on His plan to be carried out meticulously in His time. Don’t sweat the small stuff and turn the really big stuff over to the Master Planner.

In the meantime, if you really get frustrated, you have the right to scream, because it’s Scream Day.