Having been a pastor for over 35 years I have been through a gamut of “do-this-and-you-will-succeed” ideas. I am not talking about just the church. I would love to have all the money I spent running to this or that conference learning all the latest “tricks of the trade” of “How To Have a Successful Church” or “How to Have a (fill the type of church you want to have ) Church.” I could go on but you get the idea. I ran to leadership conference after leadership conference to find out how to be a better leader only to find that God made me to be me and I need to hone those skills that He has given me. Again…I could go on but you get the idea.
Honestly? I always struggled with the “Set a Goal of 1-3-5-10 years” or whatever length is in vogue at the time. I don’t think it was necessarily because I was short-sighted, although that may have been part of the problem. I think it was something else…something else that hit me this morning as I read from Proverbs. In 19:20-21 it says, “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. Many are the plans in the mind of man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” I reckon that has been my sticking point. I know I am supposed to listen to advice and I have tried. I know I am to accept instruction and I have tried to do so. But, as much as I now hate to admit it, in the back of my head was this little voice that said, “Bill, what is the use of planning ahead so far. God is going to do His thing anyway so why worry about it?” How’s that for leadership motivation? 
Let me ease your brain somewhat…it isn’t. Like many young pastors I was full of dreams when I started out. I am sad to say that many of them never came to fruition. I am also happy to say that many of them never came to fruition. If I had my own way, I would have missed an incredible ride! Like a roller coaster at Cedar Point, my ministry has had some wild and crazy ups and downs and I would have missed many of them if God has simply done what I had planned out. “Thank you Father for not letting me live my life to my blueprint! Yours had a whole bunch of nuances that I never would have figured into the drawings.” For a further look into what I have come to conclude is where I need to be, take a look here at this post by a new blogging friend. Not only does he absolutely nail it, he nails it with my favorite portion of Scripture in the OT.
Has your life gone according to your blueprint? If not, what have you learned along the way that can increase my learning in this area? How have you coped with the change of plans? I would love to hear from you.
God’s plan will always be better than our own, and it will outlast/supersede anything we can imagine.
In looking at Scripture, it is rare that man is given the whole picture. More often we see God giving the immediate step, demanding obedience, and expecting us to trust Him with the outcomes.
I think you’re so right. We can make our plans, but we have to understand that God has made His as well. His is the one that should and will stand! That’s hard to accept sometimes, but there’s a peace in it if we will walk in it. Thanks Bill. I appreciate your wisdom and your living a life of ministry. Blessings…
Dusty: well-spoken or is that well-written? I can say I am glad that I don’t see the whole picture as God does. Thanks for the comment.
Jason: thanks for the words of encouragement. No matter how long I am here I know I need to come to what you have stated: there is peace if we walk in God’s way. Thanks for coming by and commenting.
I am never sure what God’s plan for me is. And neither is anyone else. That is the paradox of the premise. I fully believe that God’s word is infallible, the truth, the way, the final word. In believing that I also have to admit that my interpretation of that word is fallible. I am human. I might get it wrong. I will get it wrong.
So how excited and judgemental to I care to get with my probably wrong interpretation of God’s word. In my case not very.
I think we need to concentrate on loving and kinda not get too excited about our probably wrong interpretations.
I manage an organization with 125 or so people. They get a paycheck every 2 weeks. I plan very diligently on how to make that happen. Planning is important to me and to those 125 people. They hope I get it right. I am not allowed the luxury of getting it wrong.
Life is best if it is not about me. At work it is about those 125 paychecks. In my free time it is about what else can I do. I can’t believe I haven’t found the right opportunity to go to Haiti this year. I am saving my vacation time for when I do find the reason to go.
I like to think I have a plan. If something or somebody or circumstances changes that plan and I think God is calling, I’ll buy a ticket and go.
Hi cycleguy,
In the early years of my life after high school my expectations for my life were to get married, have a family, work at a job. No real ambitions. My sister and I nearly raised ourselves after our parents divorced. Mom was gone alot working and socializing and trying to find another marriage partner(mostly in bars).
Divorce from my husband of 30+ years has changed my life blueprint in the past few years. This was not a bad change. I was not doing well emotionally and mentally with my husband. I really believe that I would be totally shut down now in living my life if I hadn’t gotten away from him.
How do I cope with these things? I guess I try to figure out where I am at and then from that Place i seek the Lord. For provision, for my needs, for my spiritual health, for my physical health etc.
I don’t know what my future holds. I don’t know when I will die. I don’t know what my life will hold for me next year. I assume my life will be somewhat similar to what I am experiencing this year, but in 2002 a year before my husband and I separated, I had no plans for a divorce or separation from him.
I think that in whatever place we find ourselves each year our purpose should be to glorify God in our actions, words, conduct, Our life goals and purpses should be God’s goals and purposes. These goals and purposes never change. Our financial situation may change, our health may change, our freedoms may change, but our inner core in Christ does not change except to go from Glory to Glory the Bible says.
Blueprints? I’ve been learning that God doesn’t like my blueprints…Or better said, His blueprints are a lot better than mine.
Jeff: you have hit on a good lesson for us all. We can lay our plans but God ultimately will have His way. I am also not against planning but to set things in stone when the future is up in the air “makes me nervous.” Some things, like your office situation, is necessary for stability. Just some thoughts. Do you have any back?
Linda: certain life changes sure do put kinks in our “machine” don’t they? but it is good that you see glorifying God as the key to it all. Praying for you.
Michael: yep. threw mine away long time ago.
Blueprints – well they are long blown up. I did have a blueprint years ago but I have learned that if I knew what was going to happen in advance I would not have made it very far – I would have quit. Jesus tells us to take care of things today and tomorrow’s things will take care of themself. I wish I would have learned this long ago
.
Fair? Did someone say Fair? Like you Jim I found out years ago that God doesn’t play “fair.”
Too bad I didn’t learn this sooner.
I can’t even read blueprints! I am reminded of the Scripture in Proverbs 16:9 “A man’s heart devises his way: but the LORD directs his steps.”
I appreciate your heart bro’ and thanks for the plug to my post BTW!
jay: join the club! Good Scripture. you’re welcome.
I am in a weird place right now. The blueprint is rolled up into a tube and I am spying through one end and out the other trying to focus only on God.
I no longer try to look out 5 years, or 2, or even 1. Yesterday has slipped away, tomorrow is outside of my grasp, and today is all that I care to handle.
And for today, I look forward to sitting down with about 5 or 6 other men and discussing the basics of faith over a pizza and stromboli. I think that is pretty cool.
Hi cycleguy,
‘Judgmental’is a word that seems to be shunned alot in the culture today in North America and in God’s people here.
However, someone has to make a decision. Someone has to provide leadership. The Bible says we are like sheep. Without leadership we will all scatter and go our own ways. If we are in Christ our judgement may not be perfect, but I believe it is better than no judgement at all.
God approves of right judgement, He is going to judge the world and all peoples and nations in it. The Bible says we are to test or ‘judge’ those who say they are apostles, prophets and so on. We are to judge them to determine if they are authentic or not. There is so much error in our day, as there is in any time period of history, that judgement is crucial and essential. If we can’t judge then there is no ‘right and wrong’. Even the world teaches us that a judgement has to be made against criminals and those who oppose societies’ laws for order and safety.
I read blueprints for a living. But you wouldn’t guess it looking at my life.
Nothing has gone as planned.
It’s been much better because God switches it up once in a while.
He’s awesome that way.
Tony: great description. Praying you find your “sweet spot” and move on it. Pizza sounds good.
Duane: You sum it up well. Amazing how God throws away our blueprints and has better ones.
Linda: ??? Not sure how that applies to post about God’s blueprints.
Hi Cycleguy,
Sorry about that. I see the word ‘judge’ somewhere in a blog and it kind of sets off a reaction in me.