Planning for God vs. God planning for me

I have been a perfectionist and a control freak my entire life. I have always believed I had a great deal of control concerning my destiny and where I would end up. While I still do believe this is true, I can admit that my desire for structure can go a little overboard.

With me turning twenty this October, my family and friends can attest that I am going through a mini quarter-life crisis. I know this may sound silly and ridiculous, but my quarter-life crisis is indeed real. One day I sat down by myself and drafted out a five-year plan. When I realized that I would be twenty-five years old, my mind froze. According to my life plan, I should be completing my master's program at Columbia University, buying my first home, and most importantly, be engaged. It wasn't until one day that I sat down with one of my mentors that she made realize how crazy I sounded. I even had to laugh at myself for trying to have that much control over my life without consulting God about any of them.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned being in college is that I have to have complete trust in God. Because I feel the need to be in control all of the time, that can sometimes result in me either missing my blessing, or having to learn a life lesson the hard way. I often repeat Jeremiah 29:11 in my head every morning as a reminder that God's plans for my life supersede my own. I once heard a quote stating say "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him about your plans." On many occasions I found this to be true, not noticing until later when I reflected on them. As I realize that it is good to have goals and to have a plan for the future, I should not let myself become consumed by it, nor rank my plans over God's. God knows the desires of my heart; I trust Him to provide for me the things He sees fit in my life, whether those things are in my plans or not.