I heard a lady somewhere lament, “I knew that it wasn’t God’s will for me to marry that person, but I did it anyway and now I’m paying the price,”? Often people who speak like this are explaining that their mate is the reason why they are not accomplishing God’s purpose for their life or why they’re divorcing someone they can’t put up with anymore.

I got to thinking about it. You know, that lady messed things up for the entire world. How’s that David? Well, if she married someone she wasn’t supposed to marry, then her husband also married out of God’s will. And the two people who married the ones that should have married them, also missed God.

As did the ones that married the ones that shouldn’t have married the ones, who shouldn’t have married the one. You following me? So by my reckoning, probably everyone in the world married out of God’s will because of that one goofy woman.

It’s not like that. You know the good thing about God’s will? If you miss it, you aren’t finished. He still gives you a chance.

I told you about some of my “lost” escapades in Paris. One of the first happened when we were invited by our friends Jean-Francois et Francine (plus their handsome sons) to eat with them one evening.

This family lives on the west side of the ring around Paris. We were supposed to be at their house around seven but for some reason we took the wrong way and found ourselves on the ring going east. No problem, we’ll call—hmmm, except the cell phone battery was empty.

So I had to stop at a service station, buy a phone card and call. I found that I was on the wrong side of Paris, and faced rush-hour traffic to try to get back the other way. We raced along like a sore-footed snail.

When we finally got to the right exit we pulled off and waited on the right side of the ring where I thought our friend was waiting for us, but from my description Jean-Francois thought I was coming from the other way and he waited on the left side of the ring.

It was a high-stress situation and I was tempted just to say we’d missed it and go home but … we finally made connections and got there– two hours late– but we got there.

Was it worth it? Well, Françianne had prepared a Creole meal that I would have had to pay a fortune for in a restaurant, and we had a super time with some friends we were just getting to know. They were patient with our lostness so the evening wasn’t a waste.

If you miss your turn you don’t have to quit! If you took the wrong direction in life you don’t have to give up. God doesn’t condemn you to a second-rate life if you fail. He’s a Master at forgiving and redeeming tough situations.

David messed up big time and he paid a heavy tribute for his sin, but God redeemed the situation and put his Solomon, whose mother had been part of David’s sin, on the throne. David had repented and got back in God’s way.

Get up, repent and ask forgiveness, then get on with living for Him the best you can where you’re at. God wants a heart that’s loves Him fully and not one of us has ever run in a way that’s 100% perfect.

If the LORD delights in a man’s way,
he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand. (Ps. 37: 23, 24, NIV)

You know what? I suspect that some people accomplish more by doing what they consider to be Plan B for their lives than they ever would have, if they had been able to live in Plan A.

If you goof up—get up! Go on.