Simply Faithful: Overcoming the hiccups in a planned life

It's not the big theological questions that bug me. It's the hiccups: The irritating things that I didn't expect or plan for. The things that interrupt what I'm trying to do or say. The things that start out small, but over time, become all I can think about.

I'm a planner by nature, or, more accurately, a controller. I've been known to create five-year plans for both my career and my personal life. And I've been known to get the hiccups.

I've seen it in other people's lives, too. Relatives who have lost a couple of jobs and are now struggling to sell their house in a down market — a home they planned to make a profit on for retirement. Friends who have had to close their once profitable businesses. Others who gave their marriages everything they had, only to watch their spouses walk away.

Life. Interrupted. Unplanned for.

That messiness grates on my faith. I'm not swayed by the debate over once-saved, always-saved or opinions on end-time prophecies. But I struggle with the unexpected and the disappointments.

Deep down, I think good people shouldn't have to suffer, and if you work hard, you should always be rewarded with a job. And I get a little upset at God when life doesn't turn out that way, when the hiccups turn painful.

I know he sees the top of a beautiful tapestry when all I can see are the knots on the underside. I get that on an intellectual level. It's heart-level where the trouble comes in. My expectations slink up behind me and whisper in my ear that God is distant, uninterested. Hiccup.

But usually, just as I start to complain, I remember times when God soothed my hiccups — when, like a long, cold drink of water, he made them more bearable. And, now looking back, I can see what I learned from those interruptions and inconveniences. I know, even at heart-level, that I'm stronger because of them.

So, I pray for those who are going through the hiccups now, and I hold my breath until they go away.

Marketta Gregory is a former religion reporter who now shares her own journey of faith with readers. She lives in Rochester, New York, with her husband, their three young boys and one very vocal Pomeranian. To contact Gregory, email markettagregory@yahoo.com or write to her at P.O. Box 12923, Rochester, NY 14612. You can also visit the Simply Faithful page on Facebook and follow her on Twitter at @MarkettaGregory.