Do You Need a Better Plan?

Maybe I should just say, I need a better plan.

Okay, okay. I just need a plan. A plan for the morning and the rest of the day. I don’t have one. Well – wait – unless you count the one about boiling the water for my morning French-pressed wake up elixir. Straight up. Black. Strong.

Yeah, I should probably have more of a plan than:

1. Get up.
2. Boil water.
3. Make coffee.
4. Drink coffee.
5. Don’t burn mouth.

After I get the coffee down, it’s pretty much haphazard. What does haphazard actually mean, anyway?

Haphazard: happening or done in a way that has not been planned
synonyms include: random, hit-or-miss, slapdash, jumbled, careless, irregular, 
all over the place

Ouch. Guilty as charged. And sorry I asked.

I used to be an organized person. When the kiddos were young and still at home, it seems I accomplished so much more. And I had a plan for every day. What happened?

Little by little, I got comfortable. Life got easier in many ways. The kids got older and either left home or got self-sufficient. I got – dare I say it? – lazy.

I can even remember realizing a few years ago this new, privileged season was quickly approaching. Every mom’s Promised Land. I looked forward to it and thought about how much I’d be able to accomplish.

The Promised Land flowing with children sleeping through the night, waking and getting their own breakfast, doing their school and chores without too much prodding. Children who didn’t need a babysitter, could safely drive themselves to events or work, and didn’t care anymore if I left the house without them.

I am a mom who has worked herself out of a job.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not sad about this transition. This is the way it’s supposed to be. We raise our kids so they can be godly, self-sufficient, productive members of society who move out of the house.

But I forgot to remember how I came to be in this place of privilege. Reminds me of something I read somewhere about a promised land….Deuteronomy 8:7-18 (NLT). I’m going to hit the highlights, but I hope you’ll read it for yourself.

• For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land.

• It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking.

• When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

• But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God.

• For when you have become full and prosperous…be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you.

• Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness.

• He gave you water. He fed you.

• He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’

• Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful.

  
  

Forgive me, Father. I forgot. I forgot that You sustained me when I was sleep deprived. I forgot that You gave me wisdom when I had no clue how to discipline those kids. I forgot that You taught me how to teach them. I forgot that You provided when the bank account was slim. I forgot that You kept me calm when they struggled with their faith. I forgot that You protected me from myself. I was never hungry or without clothes or shelter. I was never alone.

So, here I am, Friends. Now you all know that Calista’s only definite plan for the day is to get up, make the coffee, and drink it. After that, it’s hit-or-miss. I want you to know I’ve written in first person on purpose, because this is my problem, not yours. Today I am only preaching to myself.

I hope it encourages you.

Next time I will write to you about this new plan of mine.

Image source