I’m a planner by nature. I like to have a set of check boxes with clearly itemized tasks so I can check them off and move onto the next to make fully sure that things are on track to the end goal. That’s my nature. If I were to pigeonhole myself according to Myers-Brigg’s personality type and interaction style, I am without question labeled a “Chart the Course Idealist.” As such, I react somewhat explosively when something NOT on the checklist pops up or something on the checklist does not get checked (for whatever reason).
In my feeble mind, I had everything planned – and gosh darn it – everything should go according to plan.
When Things do NOT go According to Plan
Life doesn’t always go according to plan for us when we take our eyes of God’s will. Trust in Him and His ways and He’ll get us back on course. Photo Credit: Graham Ó Síodhacháin via Compfight cc
Yes, we all love when a plan comes together (hat tip to the A-Team’s John “Hannibal” Smith). Yet, let’s face it: while things rarely go according to MY plan, they always DO go according to plan. God’s plan. I present this fact many times over in Listen Up, Kids: Foolish Dreams, Syncing with God and Running to Win. God orders our lives to prepare us for HIS glory and HIS purposes, and – by HIS grace – we are privileged to receive blessings throughout our service to him.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. – Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
Having published two books the “traditional” way and having been convinced I was within God’s will to pursue 1Glories, I thought I had it all figured out. I set out to self-publish Listen Up, Kids with a planned launch day of October 10th – which happens to be my birthday.
I was set and I had MY plan. Of course, Listen Up, Kids was never intended to be about me (though it certainly went there and might have even become FOR me). The book started as a letter to my kids to share some of the key lessons of my life with them. Most importantly, it was meant to share the importance of synchronizing your life with God and God’s direction.
Yet, I foolishly thought it should be released on MY birthday. How foolish I often can be!
According to Plan as Directed by God
If you are a regular follower, you know some events of my life during the last couple months, including the passing of my mother and my sudden appendectomy not too long afterwards. Those events shelved much of my productivity during August and September. All of this made getting Listen Up, Kids to the next steps difficult.
I eventually realized MY plan was off the rails.
Joel Malm recently reminded us that…
…we focus too much on what we will do with our lives. God seems more concerned about what’s going on inside of us. What we do isn’t really that important, as long as we are becoming more like him in the process.
Here I was, trusting my own plan and timing. I was not leaning to God’s wisdom for the right plan or timing. So I accepted that MY plan simply would not work. As I pondered the postponing of publishing and selecting the new – better – date to launch, I prayed and gave it much thought.
Then the plan was clear.
The official launch of Listen Up, Kids will be December 3rd. That day happens to fall on the day between the birthdays of my eldest two daughters.
Now that makes much more sense, doesn’t it?