Can I mess it up?

One question that hits me sometimes is this: Can I mess up God's plan for me? Can I make such a mistake that I mess up His plans for me? Very irrational questions, I know... I am talking about our ALMIGHTY God. But just read on.

So... I know that I CAN miss out on what God has in mind for me, miss out on His plan for my life. How? By not seeking His guidance and His will for me, by going my own way, by not caring where God wants me or simply by intentionally doing things I know are not His will.

I really want to be in God's will with my life and I do seek His guidance and will. But still I sometimes ask this irrational question: Can I still mess up so badly that things don't go His way? I do make mistakes, some more stupid than others... and sometimes I feel like I came close to messing with His plan for my life. I don't even know if this makes sense to you... I'm just typing out my thoughts.

So, where am I going with this... hmmm... I'm not sure... but I was trying to think of stories in the Bible or verses that say something about this and this is what came to mind:

Jonah who intentionally tried to flee from God and go against His will was brought back to where he needed to be in a very drastic way.

David, a successful king. He was not perfect, in fact he made a lot of mistakes but still was a man after God's own heart because of his dedication to God and his relationship with Him. When he made mistakes he was not too proud to admit them and take responsibility for them, he repented and asked for forgiveness.

Peter who denied Jesus 3 times, but still was the rock on which Jesus wanted to build the church.

And these verses popped up in my head as well:

Proverbs 16:9
In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

So my conclusion is that I can trust in God to lead the way. He will not give up on me even if I make mistakes. I might go off track because of my mistakes but that is not the end of it! That doesn't break God's plan for me and He doesn't just leave me there lost in the mess of my mistakes. He wants to bring me back on track and keep me there. As long as I keep coming back to Him, seeking His forgiveness and His guidance He will lead me into His good, pleasing and perfect will. His Mercy and Grace is something I don't diserve, but He keeps pouring that into my life every day. I am forever greatful to my Heavenly Father. I just pray that I will learn from my mistakes and that my walk with Him will grow stronger with each step.