Dericka Canada Cunningham, GBW Founder
August 21, 2023
This Week's Anchor
“‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord,
‘plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
Have you ever had your mind and heart desperately set on a goal, new chapter, or new season? And no matter how hard you worked to obtain or enter it, you just kept being met with closed door after closed door—only to end up in a place that you did not plan or desire to be…Too many times in life we have grand plans that we find ourselves understandably attached to. I mean, as a certified self-proclaimed planner myself, having a “type A personality” comes with its perks. It often serves as a motivating force behind many of my life achievements. However, God has divinely clever ways of reminding us that our plans are nice and all, but His plans reign supreme.
In our reference chapter, we receive the wisdom of the prophet Jeremiah in his letter to a community of people who were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Jeremiah pens a scripture that many Believers hold dear to them. Our anchor scripture this week affirms: “‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”. This scripture reminds us that even when we are unclear of the plans of our lives, God knows, and He has intentionally orchestrated them since before we were conceived. No matter how much we attempt to plan and organize our lives, we have little control over how our future unfolds. Nevertheless, we are encouraged that God is in complete Divine control over the plans He has for us and is thoughtful in ensuring that these plans lead to a prosperous and hopeful future.
It seems so simple…God tells us that He is in control, we trust Him, and things work out better than we had hoped. But let’s be honest, even some of the most faith-filled Christ-followers get discouraged when we hit what feels like immovable walls and closed doors, especially when they seem to happen one after the other. I’ve been there many times in my life, and I can’t help but share one of these seasons that was transformative for me in understanding how God’s plans work. Journey with me as I share this personal story…
I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the final year of my undergraduate career, and I was a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed college student ready to embark on my next chapter: graduate school. I had planned for this since I was a teenager. I knew that psychology was my passion and healing was a God-ordained purpose, and I had my heart set on becoming a psychologist. I didn’t know the exact details, but I did know there was a prescribed path to becoming a psychologist that included doctoral-level education and training. In some areas of the field, it was the norm for undergraduate students in psychology to go directly into a doctoral program, and my beloved mentor at the time had encouraged me to pursue this path. So, I did everything I could to set myself up to be an optimal candidate for a psychology Ph.D. program—I engaged in research, completed an optional thesis, presented at professional conferences, and took special classes to prepare for the graduate record examination. I was excited when I reached the moment of applying for and interviewing with doctoral programs. I knew I had done the work and that God would do everything else. I interviewed with three schools and felt confident leaving each meeting, but when all was said and done, I was rejected from every program. Talk about feeling defeated and discouraged. It was tough to put in all the work and trust in God only to feel let down at the time. After processing the reality that my plans to start my doctoral studies were not happening in that season, I decided to move on to plan B. So, I applied to master’s level programs to receive additional training and experience as I awaited the next doctoral application season.
Fast forward a year later, and I was, begrudgingly, in the application process again. This time was different though. I was wiser and more experienced, and I had made some necessary relationship adjustments in my life—I had nothing (and no one) holding me back. Following my previous unexpected season of disappointment, I ended up being accepted into a master’s program at my undergraduate institution, and while in that program I gained additional direction through new mentors. As I prepared to submit round two of doctoral applications, I had a conversation with one of my mentors where he encouraged me to apply for one more final program—one that he believed would be the perfect match for my passions and professional interests and included the potential opportunity to study under one of the most renowned Black woman psychologists and researchers in the field of psychology. I hadn’t even considered applying for this program and didn’t apply anywhere near it in my first round of applications the year before. This program was highly competitive, accepting only a few individuals out of hundreds of applications yearly. So, as I added this final school to my application list, I remember chuckling in disbelief that I would ever even be invited to interview for, let alone be accepted into their program. I had about a 10% chance of being interviewed and a 2% chance of being accepted, but with the nudge of God and a good mentor I said to myself, “Why not shoot my shot?” Not only did I make the first shot and land an interview with this program, but I also made the 2nd shot and received an offer! I was in complete awe at the way God simultaneously placed and moved mountains to make this opportunity happen. This country girl from Kentucky would make her way to the big city of Boston, a place I knew nothing about at the time.
Well, friends, it’s been over 10 years since I took a huge leap of faith, moved to Boston, and started my doctoral program journey. I graduated with my Ph.D. in 2017 and became a licensed psychologist a year later! This journey has been more than becoming a psychologist and achieving a dream that I’ve had since I was a young girl. In this past decade+, God has undoubtedly deepened me in purpose, connected me to lifelong friends, and called me into meaningful season after meaningful season. It was here in Boston that I met my life partner/husband and where the two of us became parents and started our family. Imagine if the doors I thought I wanted to walk through remained open. None of this would have happened. The past ten years have taught me that sometimes closed doors are open pathways. What I thought was my plan B, was God’s plan A all along. Young, depleted, and discouraged Dericka of 2010 had no idea what God was up to when He sent rejection my way. But oh, is 2023 Dericka thankful that He did.
Like the exiles in Jeremiah 29 and I, sometimes God leads us into places and spaces that are not a part of our desired plans. That’s because our view of the future and even our understanding of our desires is humanly limited. Sometimes what we desire isn’t truly what we want, it’s what we think we want until life is revealed and we realize there is something not only better but more importantly predestined. If you find yourself in a season of reworked plans, meditate on this chapter of Jeremiah and receive the instructions that God gives us: settle in and settle down in this season, plant and harvest yourself and your purpose, and reap and eat the meaningful lessons and experiences that come along with this process (v. 5). Trust that what feels like your plan B could be God’s plan A, and that your backup plan could actually be the Divine Master’s plan for you!
Reflection
What resonates for you about this scripture and/or this devotion?
How do you respond/react when your hopes/plans change? What do you need from the Holy Trinity to help you navigate seasons of closed doors/waiting?
What intention(s) do you want to set to connect and/or reconnect with being grounded this week?
Related Scriptures to Ground You Through this Week
Psalms 33: 11
Proverbs 19: 21
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8
Isaiah 55: 8-9
Jeremiah 29: 10-14
Romans 8: 28-30
My Through-the-Week Reflection Guide
A Song of Inspiration
Quote of Love & Liberation
“Reinvent yourself over and over and over
and over and over until you find home.
There is no timeline for the soul.” Malebo Sephodi
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