I thought my purpose as an empty nester was to enjoy the retirement life, travel with my husband after many years of him working so many hours, raising 3 kids and going through life’s ebbs and flows as a wife and mother. I imagined countless photos littering my social media feed, with oodles of smiles and leaps of joy as we navigated traveling in our RV throughout the country. I was so excited to start this new adventure, with purpose and lots of planning.

But…

I was disappointed.

It was not what I thought it would be.

Quite the opposite.

I was heartbroken, disappointment flowed through my veins. What was the purpose?

Sometimes we go through life with plans, a purpose, and those plans are good, with good intentions to benefit yourself or others. You might feel you are on the right path, that God is looking down from heaven with a big smile, so proud His little girl is doing things right. But as you go through the motions of your purpose, you realize something: You are disappointed, disappointed that you got it wrong again.

I believe we should make plans in things we do, especially life-changing moments, such as retirement, college for our kids, career change or something else. But sometimes God has a way of changing those plans, changing the purpose, not to disappoint but to, shall we say, enhance those plans?

When my husband and I set out to fulltime rv, we made plans years ahead, researched, planned our expenses and fixed income we would be receiving. There was purpose in this, at least I thought there was. We set out on our journey with anticipation in our hearts, eager to start this new chapter in our lives as I was riding on the coattails of my husband’s retirement.

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21

I have come to rely on this Bible verse for years. It is not something I always like or want to read, but the Bible is chock full of wisdom and Proverbs is the best place to go when you need a healthy dose of wisdom.

What is a verse you rely on during periods of doubt?

Even though we planned, did not rush into fulltime rving, waited, I truly felt this was the right way to go. The problem here is “I felt.” God does not have any obligations to give us “good vibrations” or a “sign,” even when we ask and wait. He may allow you to proceed with your purpose, your plan, but later it was not what you thought it would be.

We did proceed and God allowed us to face our biggest obstacle: finances. The prices on everything doubled, and our budget did not allow any wiggle room. God did not stop us, but allowed some things in our lives come to be. And it was disappointing. I think I relied on this fulltime rv adventure as non-stop fun, that it would add to the happiness meter in my life as I felt it was great way to live out the rest of our lives!

Sometimes we may rely on other things to bring us joy, happiness, unity so we put a lot of planning or purpose into that and later find out it was not worth it. God stepped in. And showed you it was not really His purpose after all.

So what should you do?

“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

Do not give up.
Pick yourself back up.
Learn from this disappointment.
Go to the Lord in prayer.
Move forward.

Get something to write with, either paper and pen or use your computer. Make this disappointment a project by choosing colorful pens and paper, or change the coloring of your font and size on your computer. Do a keyword search on “purpose” or “plans” in your Bible. Write down those bible verses and start to memorize them. Tuck them into your heart when there might be a “next time.” Find out what God’s purpose is for you during that critical moment of purpose or planning.

We did not give up fulltime rving (although the thought was there from me). Instead we decided to work camp for a time to help us fund this lifestyle. Maybe someday we will not have to, but for now, this is our purpose: to serve others in the hospitality business. Not the easiest, but it is I believe where God wants us. We have met some interesting people!

So we tweaked our purpose and still can do what we wanted to do, but it looks different than what we originally planned. So can you. It is okay to mess up, to step in the wrong direction, but do not chide yourself too much. We all make mistakes or an “oops” that we find out later. IT IS OKAY!

I would love to hear from you a disappointment you walked through and what the ending result was!