ARE YOU A PLANNER, OR SOMEONE WHO “SHOOTS FROM THE HIP”?

SCRIPTURE:
Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this 
or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 
(James 4:13)

MEDITATION:
We would all agree 
that it is prudent to make plans for the future, wouldn’t we?
Whenever we make plans ahead of time, we can think more clearly, because 
we don’t feel the time pressure that causes us to make hurried decisions.
When our planning is complete, we feel prepared and are confident that 
at worst, we may have to make some slight adjustments along the way.

However, without adequate planning, our snap decisions 
may not fully consider the possible consequences of our choices.
Apparently some people prefer to live an unplanned life, 
but ironically some of them seem to perform better under pressure.

Whether we are planners or ‘non-planners’, 
we need to include God in our decisions.
His plans may be different than ours and if so, 
His plans ‘trump’ any that we make.

As an example, 
His plans include the length (and brevity) of our earthly life.
We can make all the plans we want to make, 
but when God’s timetable for our lifespan has ended, 
then obviously we will not be able to fulfill those plans.
Of course it is equally important for ‘non-planners’ 
to include God in their decisions.
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? 
You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 
(James 4:14)

When we include God in our plans, we are acknowledging that He is in control, 
and that helps us to build a closer relationship with our Heavenly Father.
We also are admitting our dependence on Him, 
and our desire to include, rather than exclude Him in our lives.
Instead, you ought to say, 
“If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:15)
We know how we would like for things to be, 
but we should realize that God is the One who determines how things will be.

The following is an example of where God’s plans trumped mine:
During my career, I was working for a company that hired an overbearing, 
inconsiderate, and unreasonable person to manage the group I was working in.
Everyone in the group was surprised 
that I wasn’t promoted to manager, instead of hiring a new person.
Naturally I thought it was a bad decision, 
but did not want it to affect me or my work.

This new manager was arrogant and disrupted meetings 
with other departments in his efforts to show he was in control. 
I started praying for this man every morning on the way to work, 
until one morning it was as if God spoke to me and said, 
“How about praying for yourself?”

Of course my initial thought was, 
“Why should I do that? He has the problem, not me”.
But I did pray that God would change whatever needed to be changed in me.
When I arrived in the office, I had to walk by the manager’s office 
to get to my desk.
I have no idea where this came from, but when I saw him in his office, 
I asked if he wanted to go to lunch that day...and he said “Yes”.

When I got to my desk I wondered how in the world I could have said that, 
and thought about the indigestion I would have that afternoon.
However, to my surprise it was an enjoyable lunch where we got to know each 
other better, and from that day forward our working relationship improved.
He still had problems working with other departments, 
but our interaction with each other was much better.

In the months that followed, 
we freely discussed things related to faith in God.
During that time, 
I discovered that his need for a friend contributed to his attitude.
Against my desires, 
it was obvious that God had chosen me to be a friend to him.

It wasn’t long until I no longer ‘piled on’ whenever others were bashing him.
My plans were for God to change this man, but His plans were to change me.
I think He changed us both, so His plans worked out much better than mine.

ACTION:
Are you guilty of omitting God when making your plans?
Have you excluded Him from many areas of your life?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for my failure to acknowledge Your 
presence at all times, and for failing to include You in all my plans. 
Thank You for everything You have given me, and help me to start 
including You more in my life, so that I can build a closer relationship 
with You and get to know you better.”