“PLANNING” –doesn’t the word just make you shudder sometimes? Even though I am a person who loves order and organizing things (you have to be, if you’re married to an AdministratorJ), I still don’t like the process of getting there. Did you ever notice that when you sit down to plan how much you wonder what you could be getting done if you weren’t planning? Nonetheless, by His grace, I bought in hook, line, and sinker to the wisdom and very helpful principles in the Girl Talker’s new book, Shopping for Time. I’m part of an early morning club where a friend calls to help me get up in the morning, and then I call a friend to help get her up. It has been such a huge blessing—especially for getting in regular quiet times! I set aside time once a week to plan the week and a few minutes each morning to plan the day.
But somehow in the last month or two, I neglected the weekly and daily schedules and would just “wing it.” You know what ‘winging it’ looks like – just getting busy, focusing on whatever is right in front of you, doing whatever task comes to mind, responding to whatever wheel squeaks the loudest. Winging it seems to work for a time, but it’s hard to run a house and family that way. The days become chaotic, priorities get lost, projects don’t get done, and I always seem to be running to catch up. Well, I realized that this would probably not serve my family as we headed into this busy Christmas season, so I jotted down a schedule the other morning and tried again. Time is a gift from God, and He wants us to steward it well.
Proverbs 31: 27 describes the godly woman as one who manages her home well, and that takes planning! Planning doesn’t mean that I get everything done. After all, God loves to interrupt even our good plans with his better plans. But prayerful planning does allow me to make choices, not just react as I go through my day. For example, at the end of my planned day, I realized that I had found time to stop by a friend’s house and go through some hand-me-downs for Rosie, saving another resource from God, our income. I was able to review my son’s upcoming schoolwork – an often neglected responsibility in recent weeks. I even fit in a short and very enjoyable trip to the library with Rosie, which is good for our mother/daughter relationship. I don’t think I would have followed through with any of these without being intentional – which comes from the mental clarity that prayerful planning provides. I’m learning that taking the time to plan keeps my ‘winging it’ wings safely tucked away, and that’s a good thing in any season, especially during the holidays. Ladies, let’s seek to make the only wings we see over the next few weeks the ones on the angels in our Christmas decorations.
3 comments:
Andrea,I loved your illustrations on how taking the time to plan better positioned you to both enjoy and to serve the needs of your family! I have also waxed and waned in this area, depending on the season, but have found that when I am prayerfully and faithfully doing so, the time invested in planning always seems to be multiplied back to me. This is fresh inspiration to continue to pursue excellence in this area.
During this busy holiday season, I fight the temptation to be overwhelmed with all the activity that comes. Each year I purpose to enjoy the opportunity to bless family and friends with gifts and to provide memorable times for my family as we appreciate God's gift of His Son. Your post comes at a perfect time as it reminds me that planning helps me to walk in grace in the midst of all He's given me to do. Thanks for sharing from your life, and for the timely reminder!
Andrea, Thank you for the inspiration on planning my day.With such hustle and bustle I forget how important it is to prayerfully plan my day. Just as it is or if not more important to do my devotions each day.
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