Welcome to the Determined to Dance podcast with your host, Jennifer Hallmark.

Today’s episode, “Procrastination and a Change of Plans” focuses on how a loss of hope can stop our dancing to the point of us leaving the ballroom.

Are you ready? The world would have us march to its chaotic beat but God invites us to dance in His will and His way. Let’s take a moment to be energized, refreshed, and motivated to face the day, one spin and twirl at a time.
Show Notes: Procrastination and a Change of Plans

My plan had changed. When I drew up my itinerary for the procrastination series, I wanted to follow last week’s episode, Five Ways to Overcome Procrastination and the Fear of Failure, with my thoughts on the fear of success. Makes total sense.

As an organized planner. And planners plan.

Except when…

They can’t. There’s nothing physically wrong with me. Nope, but I’m still frozen. Knocked senseless by something I can’t quite see. Useless in the last few days of writing. Unable to dance with God. I’m trudging knee-deep in the Swamp of Sadness. (Cue the Never-Ending Story references)

https://youtu.be/vE8mFDabqD0

If you’re not familiar with this book/movie, the Swamp of Sadness basically swallows Artax the horse. And sometimes, like Artax, I lose hope. I don’t mean to. My life’s not that bad.

But my writing journey has been turned on its ear in a hundred different ways and I’m struggling. I’ve encouraged myself until I’m tired of hearing my own voice.

Why? I don’t like change. I want life to be one hilltop experience after another. I think we all do. No valleys. No pits. No Swamp of Sadness.

I want lots of sunshiny days. As I write this, it’s raining outside and inside.

You get me. Maybe there’s one or maybe two areas in your life that won’t line up with your expectations. It’s not what you pictured. Dreamed about. Spoke life into.

Hoped for.

Those endless nagging whispers grow louder. Give it up. It’s not really for you. You’ve done something wrong or you wouldn’t be here.

Surrounded by the unfamiliar. Feeling hopeless.

Several options appear:

I can give up.
I can stay but wallow in self-pity.
I can struggle to move forward.
I can surrender.

Wait. Isn’t surrender and give up the same? Not to me. When I give up, I’m saying I can’t make this work. My efforts aren’t enough. Why should I keep trying? Lots of “I’s” in there, huh?

When I surrender, it’s not to something but to Someone. My God who is big enough to straighten it all out. Give me a glimpse of the bigger picture. And a glimpse of hope.

Along with His all-encompassing, overwhelming, reckless love for me. Even when I’ve lost hope. Lost my way. Lost any forward motion.

Today, I choose to surrender.

My plans-His are greater and better for me though I can’t see it now.
My way-I can easily be directionally challenged when driving. What makes me think I can figure out my way in life without Him?
My dreams-This is the hardest of all. My dreams for my family, my job, my ministry, my life. I need to place them all in God’s hands.

Losing control is so unbelievably hard for a planner. Not that I really ever had control but in my mind, the illusion is better than the loss. I need to stop and mourn for a moment, then place my plans, way, and dreams back where they belong. My life verse comes to mind:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

God not only gives me hope but wants me to prosper and offers a future. His future. But I am so often short-sighted. Surely, I’m not the only one.

My friend, where have you lost hope? Your situation might be much more dire than a job. It might be your life. Proverbs 13 says that hope deferred makes the heart sick. It truly does. I’m glad that Solomon, the writer king, didn’t stop there. He goes on to say that a longing fulfilled is a tree...