We are gathered together at this gravesite to celebrate this life of Plan A. We are here to grieve how Plan A has died, how those dreams you had have been dashed, how those hopes have been stolen, how your innocence has been lost. We mourn the plans we thought were so certain, that life we envisioned.

We will never see that plan again. It’s gone. It’s over. That person you were supposed to grow old with is gone, those children you wanted haven’t arrived, that career that you banked on fizzled. That worse case scenario that you thought would be the death of you has happened and you’re still here, feeling numb.

I stand before you hear today to tell you it’s okay to grive. To weep and wail and mourn. To pour out your heart before God and not sanitize your prayers to Him. He already knows what’s in your heart anyway.

It’s time to let that Plan A go. Say your farewells, throw your roses, and walk away. Know that God has a plan B for you out there, and His plan B is way better  than your plan A ever would have been. You may have made all the plans in the world, but God is the one who directs your steps.

Bury your past. Bury that failure that haunts you. That loss that still defines you. That scar that taunts you. Those words you wish you could take back and those actions you can’t ever undo. Dig a hole, toss them into the ground, cover them up and walk away.

No matter how bad the past has been, know that God has redeemed it. Know that He holds your future. Know that Jesus went into the grave and took your past and left it there when He rose and walked out again on Sunday morning. His victory is now yours.

No matter how long it takes, I will learn to let go of what I can’t retract or undo and let God heal all those places I’ve broken and live in His gloriously perfect Plan B. I hope you will, too.