Tonight is a night of celebration. We acknowledge hard work, accomplishments, successful completion of another year, for some of us graduation. We also come to celebrate the gift of abilities and to praise the one who gave them to us. We come to thank our instructors who led us, our families and friends who put up with us, and to appreciate the environment at Calvin College, which encourages excellence. We come to celebrate great plans for the future.

I thought I would share with you something that I am learning about plans, something that I think of when I see Calvin's motto. You know what I'm talking about, the heart in the hand and the words “I offer my heart to you Lord, promptly and sincerely”. I'm learning that our offering needs to include not just our heart, but our very lives and our plans as well. We all have plans.

On May 17 I plan to graduate from Calvin College There's nothing so unusual about that; many in this room have that same plan. What is unusual is that I began my studies at Calvin more than thirty years ago in the fall of 1977. My plan was to graduate in 1981. I was going to be a teacher. That was my plan and I was sure it was what the Lord wanted me to do, but the Lord had something else in mind for me. After three years of classes I took what I thought would be a one-year break. I got married and moved to Houghton, Michigan, where my husband had a year to finish at Michigan Tech. When he was finished with his degree, there were no jobs in Grand Rapids for new civil engineers. We ended up in Indiana instead. So, I would just finish my teaching degree there; but Indiana had different requirements for teacher certification, my credits didn't transfer, and there was a surplus of new teachers there already. “God,” I said, “This wasn't in the plan.”

I can just imagine God shaking His head, "I know the plans I have for you.” I ended up working in a hospital that was in desperate need for nurses. They offered to pay my tuition if I became a nurse…and so I did. I graduated from Purdue University as an RN in 1984. Being a nurse worked well for me as we started a family, better for us probably than being a teacher would have. I could still use my teacher's training as my children grew, in church activities, and in my work as a nurse. I began to understand … "I know the plans I have for you."

Fast forward to 1998 -- my family has relocated to Grand Rapids to be near extended family. I'm happily working as a labor and delivery nurse in a local hospital and I love it. I plan to work there forever and I'm sure that that is what God has in mind, too. Then my hospital offers me a position as the health coordinator of a new program -- a free clinic on the NE side of GR. I would be the first employee and be responsible for shaping the direction of the volunteers in assessing and trying to meet the health care needs of the low income, uninsured people in the neighborhood. “Wow Lord, I don't think this is the plan, I love Labor and Delivery, I like in-patient care and being part of a team. I don't think I'm up for this challenge.” I'm a slow learner, so I still held on tightly to my plan. I thought I would say no to the offer. In fact, for 6 months I did, or rather, I kept asking questions thinking they would get tired of answering them and find someone else. Eventually I decided I would give it a try. I can see God smiling as He says, “I know the plans I have for you.”

The clinic grew and I found I loved it. I found that each experience I had prior to this had prepared me in a small way for the variety of roles I needed to play. "I know the plans I have for you." (Ah Lord I'm beginning to get the picture!) For almost eight years the clinic grew. We added staff, we saw more patients, all with the support of the hospital that was my employer. I loved being the clinical supervisor; I was sure it was what the Lord had planned for me. And then the hospital that employed me and provided most of the funds for the clinic decided to put its support elsewhere. All of us who were hospital employees were offered jobs back in the hospital; they intended to close the clinic. “Lord” I pouted, “This is definitely not part of my plan.” And very quietly there was God again, “I know the plans I have for you.” After much prayer and soul searching, and more than a few tears, several of the key players in the clinic decided to stay, to reorganize and continue our work at the clinic without the support of the hospital. Everyone went without pay for several months while we regrouped and worked on a business plan to raise the needed funds. “Oh Lord, are you sure this is the plan?” “Oh child” I can just see him shaking his head, “haven't you learned yet? I know the plans I have for you.”

Fast forward again to Fall, 2007. I am now the Executive Director of that same free medical clinic in Grand Rapids, Catherine's Care Center. A Calvin College nursing professor is on my staff, Calvin nursing students come to the clinic to learn about community nursing, and I return to Calvin myself to finally finish up that long uncompleted degree.

I planned to be a teacher; instead, God planned that I become a nurse and now an administrator. My next plan is to begin a master's program in non-profit administration so I can learn more about the job I'm already doing. The lesson I still am learning is that we must hold out not just our hearts, but our lives and our plans with an open hand to our Lord, who sees the rest of the story and not just the present. Our hand must be open because if we hold too tightly to what he gives, He has to pry our fingers away and it's more painful when he moves the old aside to give us something better.

Tonight is a night to celebrate. We celebrate good gifts, given generously by a gracious God, with no regard for our unworthiness. We celebrate honors and achievements earned by our hard work as we use those abilities. And we celebrate plans. Beautiful, hopeful plans for how we want to use those gifts and abilities in service to God as we renew this fallen world.

Our past, our present and our future -- offered up to God in our little, puny, helpless hands. And underneath and all around us are His big, all powerful hands holding us safely. "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)