Your plan might sound good when you first thought of it. Study, eat right, exercise, all the non-religious stuff you do which you bring into religion by studying His Signs and being grateful for what He’s given you, while being patient with what’s He’s withheld.
But sometimes, all the times, you need to make sure you’re still with Him.
Allah knows what’s best for you. Planning while the waters are calm is nice. But to think that the waters will always be calm for you, that He’ll stop testing you because you’ve surrendered to Him in the moment - that’s arrogance in its highest form. The storms will come. The plans change. But always, you have to rely on Him. He purifies the believers with trials, while punishing the unbelievers with trials. You have to reflect and bear witness to Him in every moment, good and bad.
He doesn’t care if you get all A’s. He cares if you are grateful to Him for giving you the work ethic, the knowledge, the application, the wisdom, and the criterion to judge right from wrong.
He doesn’t care if you get all F’s. He cares if you are patient with Him, accepting of His Divine Decree, trusting in His Promise, knowing that He is All Merciful, Especially Merciful.
The ends don’t matter if your means are off.
So don’t worry if He stops your plans, even if you think they’re righteous and fair. He’s going to make them better. You’re advancing to a higher level.
Find the sadness within. Examine it. See how your addiction to your goal will lead you away from Him if you don’t let go of it and give control back to Allah.
And then, watch as you make up the time you thought was wasted. Faster and deeper and you’ll go.
It was just a restart, that off day you had. A power nap. A refresher. A reminder for you to live for Him. Even if you see everyone around you accomplishing their goals, know that your weight is heavier - you want good here and There. So be patient. Learn to align both worlds with the single purpose of pleasing Him.
You’ll always find your goals bouncing around everywhere, some will stay, some will go away, new ones, too - they’ll come and go. But if you’re on the boat of His Remembrance, your eyes will sharpen, your hands will strengthen, your heart will understand.
You’ll never drown.
