When you have a plan...

Orchid Huff tells me, when you have a plan, God laughs.  How true, but I don't think we should interpret it as if God is making fun of us, or that God is trying to put us down.  I think that God is laughing at our plans, because He know sometimes our plan will not go as planned, and it is important to laugh about it, instead of being frustrated.  

Earlier this week I went fishing with the rare intention to bring home a delicious trout to eat.  I never bring home any fish to eat, because I don't feel like messing around in filleting fish when I could just get it at the store.  But I thought, why not?  During this coronavirus pandemic and the stay at home order, I thought well what if I did some "essential" traveling to "catch" my food for the day. 

PA trout regulations are that you are allowed to keep 5 fish that must measure at least 7 inches in length.  No prob bob!  Most of the stocked trout are 7 inches and over, I have never had trout before, and I know I can catch them... so I made a plan.  I went out searching for STOCKED brown or rainbow trout.  I went on the internet to see where they stock these fish and I eliminated every trout stream that had native trout.  (I just don't feel right eating a thriving native trout)  I picked a day that I could take my day off, put a block of 4 hours on that morning that I could fish, I figured I would only need about a couple of hours to catch my 5 fish (I know sounds arrogant).  

First place I went to took me about 2 casts before I hooked up!  And it was a really nice sized rainbow trout.  and then I lost it!  It pulled my hook out right when I was about to grab it with my hand... gone.  Me, livid... Soon after that I tried a couple of times, but that fish ain't comin' back.  So I casted in different areas, and got bites, but no hook ups.  Changed my lures a few time and finally got a hook up!  I pulled it in... and it was dang tiny man!  Brown trout yes, legal size... not even close.  And it is was native!  This stream is not supposed to have natives trout, only stocked trout… I thought...  SO I decide to find a new spot.  Drove to a new location and started fishing.  Then I got a bite, and got a hook up!  But guess what... it was also too small to take home and yet another native trout?!  

Native trout are tough to get, but that day, I kept catching native brown and brook trout, all less than 7 inches.  I don't get it, when I am trying to catch a native trout I never can, always catch ones that were stocked.  But when I am trying to get stocked trout, apparently, I catch native trout.... what?!  I thought to myself, God I had a plan man!  I was supposed to go, catch stocked trout over 7 inches to take home and eat..., what the heck happened?  Then... God laughed...

Sometimes our plans don't work out the way it's supposed to, but that's life.  No matter how much we prepare, how much time we spend on the execution of the plan, there will be times which the plan just falls apart.  God laughs because in order to move on from our failures, we have to laugh.  And I believe that God never wants to take us too seriously, and God doesn't want us to take ourselves too seriously either!  God laughs because He knows that He has provided something more for us, better for us, even though we may not realize it at that moment.  So next time a plan doesn't work.. laugh with God.

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