I didn’t understand where I went wrong. This was not how it was supposed to be.

In preparation for Easter, I decided to make Empty Tomb cookies with my kids. Together, we took the body of Jesus (large marshmallow), covered it with embalming oils and spices (butter, cinnamon, and sugar), wrapped it for burial (crescent roll), and placed it in the tomb (our oven). The recipe assured me that after fifteen minutes, the Jesus marshmallows would have melted within their crescent roll wrappings, and upon removing them from the oven, my kids would discover that Jesus was no longer there. The tomb was empty! He had risen! It was going to be the perfect Easter story illustration!

At the fifteen minute mark, I opened the oven to remove the cookies and was met with a horrific sight. Jesus hadn’t melted. Instead, he had oozed out of his wrappings and left a trail of white streaks all over the cookie sheet. My kids rushed over, took one look at the cookies, and looked up at me with a mixture of confusion and horror. “What happened to Jesus?”

It was an epic Pinterest fail, but it reminded me of a very valuable lesson. Things don’t always go according to the plan. More specifically, things don’t always going according to MY PLAN.

Those Empty Tomb cookies were supposed to be a beautiful illustration of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Instead, they looked like a scene from a crime movie. My kids are supposed to be in school right now. Instead, due to COVID-19, we are doing online learning at home. This weekend, my daughter and I were supposed to get away for some girl time. Instead, those plans were canceled as we’ve been asked to practice social distancing.

This isn’t how life was supposed to be right now. . .

Can you relate to that at all?

When life takes a turn towards the unexpected or things aren’t going according to the plan, remember, God is in control. He has a plan and can be trusted with whatever today may bring. Take a deep breath, and rest in that truth today. He’s got this, and He’s got you.