Article August 26, 2019 Issue

When life defies our efforts to plan

Inge Schmidt

A version of this article was published in The Christian Science Monitor’s Christian Science Perspective column, May 8, 2019.

I’ve always been someone who likes a plan. The problem? I’ve encountered many experiences that defied my efforts to plan. And often these changes in plans weren’t just inconvenient; they were a source of overwhelming anxiety. This came to a head several years ago.

My life seemed to be “on track.” My husband and I had a comfortable home. He had a good job; I had taken steps to pursue a career path I loved. Our young son brought joy to each day.

One day, however, my husband unexpectedly told me he felt called in a new direction professionally. The path was one that would require several more years of school, demand that he be away from home more frequently, and hold a future that would be, it seemed, defined by uncertainty.

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