His Plan is Greater / Guest Post by Brooke Olson

God’s plan for you is bigger than your most concrete plans. My life has been a true testament to that.

I grew up planning my whole life, and from a young age, I had dreams of playing college hockey one day. I held onto those dreams so tightly until I got to an age where I realized that maybe that wasn’t going to be a reality for me. I told myself that I started too late, I wasn’t skilled enough, played the comparison game, and eventually shut down my hockey dreams. I decided to just plan my life around a career, and before my junior year of high school, I decided where I was going to attend school and how my life was going to go…or so I thought.

“You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.” — Proverbs 19:21

Have you ever made a plan that didn’t work out? How did you feel? What did you learn, and did you see that God’s plan turned out for the better?

When Plans Fall Apart
As my senior hockey season ended, I felt lost, wondering who I really was and what my plan was now that hockey was over. Something didn’t feel right, and little did I know that what I thought was the end was only the beginning for me.

One day after a game, an opportunity was presented to me to fly from my small town in northwestern Wisconsin to Lynchburg, Virginia, to try out for the Liberty Women’s D1 Hockey Team. I had never heard of Liberty University, nor did I think playing college hockey was in my future. Thankfully, I was surrounded by a coaching staff and my family who encouraged me to look at the opportunities around me and pray about it.

I took a chance on Liberty, and the second I stepped on campus, I knew that this was where God was calling me to be from the very beginning. Everything I thought was my future was gone in the blink of an eye, and a new plan that the Lord had laid before me was set into motion—better than I could have ever imagined.

At first, I struggled to let go and second-guessed if it was just me thinking that the Lord was calling me there. God quickly made it clear to me that He knew the path for my life from the very beginning and knew the desires of my heart. Although I was trying to plan it all out, He had everything fall right into place. I didn’t have to give up on my dreams of continuing to play hockey or my career.

Faith, Community, and Calling
Faith has always been a huge part of my life since I was young. Everything I could have ever wanted, I found at Liberty in an environment that is very uncommon in the hockey world. I have been blessed with amazing teammates who are incredible role models for me. Since the very beginning, the Lord has been shining through them and into me. They have encouraged me and breathed life into my faith journey.

Because I trusted God’s plan, doors opened that I never could have imagined. This year, I was encouraged to become a devotional leader on our team. Through this opportunity, God has shown me how to lead and glorify Him in the sport of hockey—guiding teammates who are new to faith and others who are growing in their journey.

Another door opened through hockey was the opportunity to attend a mission trip to Vietnam this past summer. It was life-changing and opened my eyes to God’s work throughout the world. It put everything into perspective—how God had perfectly aligned my life to this point so I could glorify Him by sharing my faith in another country.

God can see every detour and weaves beauty into the unexpected things in our lives.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart… and He will make straight your paths.” — Proverbs 3:5–6

Learning to Trust Daily
I had to release my grip on controlling my life and trust God’s loving hand to shape my future. I am assured that no path is wasted when walking with God by my side.

God’s direction often becomes clearer when we surround ourselves with people who help us see what we cannot on our own. Friends and family have spoken God’s truth into my life and helped shape me to trust Him. When we focus too much on tomorrow, we can miss what God wants to do today.

Staying consistent in reading God’s Word has been essential for me. It helps me hear His voice, especially when life gets busy and distractions grow loud.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go.” — Psalm 32:8

Finding quiet time to pray has also helped me grow closer to the Lord.

“Come near to God and He will come near to you.” — James 4:8

The Bigger Picture
God has created a masterpiece for each one of us. We see one piece of the puzzle; He sees the whole picture. What feels like a setback may actually be a setup for something far greater.

“For we are God’s masterpiece.” — Ephesians 2:10

If you are struggling with uncertainty, trust that God is working behind the scenes. His timing, His purpose, and His ways are higher than ours.

Pray that God will help you trust His plan, strengthen your faith, and align your heart with His will. Remember that He has plans to give you hope and a future.

I am deeply grateful for who I am today and the life I’ve been given because I chose to surrender and trust the Lord. Once I did, He brought people and circumstances into my life that led to greater joy and fulfillment than I ever imagined.

The apostle Paul reminds us in his letter to the Romans, 

“From him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever.” — Romans 11:36

Nothing we have, no circumstances we’ve been given, no talents we possess on this road with Christ have been entrusted to us for our own glory. They’re all from him, through him, and to him.