The steps and the how-to’s really aren’t all that important if your commitment is right.
Proverbs 16:3 3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
I’ve heard that if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans. I’ve also heard a person should leap and the net will appear. Then again it’s said that the best laid plans of mice and men… (I don’t know the rest of this one, usually the speaker just trails off and looks at you like you should know how it ends. You, not wanting to look inquisitive and therefore confirm your ignorance, look thoughtful and nod your head). This proverb however seems to be a catch all. It doesn’t matter what we do. If what we do is committed to the Lord, he’ll give us the plan. Sounds simple, right? You would think so.
I married into a family of planners. They plan everything. They like to “have a plan”. They ask open-endedly, “What’s the plan?” They like to carry out the plan. Completing the plan is good! Plan, plan, plan, plan, plan, plan, plan; even though I love them all it drove me nuts for many years. Don’t for a minute think that the feeling wasn’t mutual.
I come from a family of non-planners. We fly by the seat of our pants. We make things up as we go along. We often have no idea what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, nor when. I drove my wife nuts, for years. Or at least I did. Once I actually tried to herd those cats (mid-west colloquial reference, also works with ‘chickens’) I experienced a change of heart and I have a confession. I became a planner.
It’s not that I love plans, I don’t. I like free-wheeling. I like impromptu. In my career I would fit well into “Whose Line is it Anyway?” It’s just I’ve discovered something. If I don’t have a plan I don’t get anywhere and furthermore I’m not certain if, once everything is said and done, that I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. That whole measurement thing just doesn’t happen. But there’s an even bigger thing operating here, something that makes our plans irrelevant (a gasp just emanated from my in-laws).
Here’s the thing, I have to be committed to the direction. That comes first. If I’m not committed to the direction, the plan doesn’t matter. Having the goal in mind and firmly set is ultimately more important than the steps we’re going to have to take to get there. This bothers me and my somewhat analytical brain and fires up all my insecurities for “how are we going to get it done?” I want to have a plan and I want to know the plan and more importantly I want to set it up. Because plans are comforting and confirming and organizing (there’s one that’s driven someone I love bonkers over the years). The thing is, it’s tough to know the correct, plan, the perfect plan and the right plan. Now I’ve said all that to say this.
If you believe the proverb, it doesn’t matter at all where you’re pointing or how you think you need to get there. Wringing your mind out about either of these is wasted time. If you commit whatever you’re doing (short of something nefarious, I imagine) to the Lord He will show you how to get there. He will show you the plan. In fact he’ll even lay all the steps out for you to follow. For a guy that still struggles at times with what he’s doing, how he’s doing it and where he’s going; this is good news, very good news indeed. So, trust. Commit. The ultimate planner’s got your back.
Where in your life do you need to focus more on committing what you’re doing to the Lord and less on how it gets done?