Plans and Planners

My new planner arrived last week.

 

The book contains 18 months: the final four months of this year, all of next year, and two months after that. It’s an organizer’s dream. There are month-at-a-glance pages. Days divided by AM and PM. Places for prayers, priorities, notes, and goals.

 

And all of the pages are interspersed with Scripture and quotes.

 

All good, right?

My planner, along with my husband’s planner and our kitchen calendar, keep track of people, places and time.

 

Admittedly, my hubby isn’t quite as excited as I am. In his planner, he writes down one or two words next to a specific time, and he’s done.

 

I, on the other hand, use my paper tools to fill in prospects for new adventures.

 

So, with colored pens in hand, I penned information in my new planner. Sometimes I used complete sentences and drawings. Yes, even arrows, circles, hearts, and exclamation points.

 

I recorded meeting dates and times of organizations along with hosting and speaking duties.

 

Plans.

 

I added recurring events such as bell choir rehearsals and ministry training.

 

More plans.

 

I gathered together slips of paper of already-scheduled dental appointments, luncheons, travel, family visits, and upcoming conferences. All this, neatly transferred into daily squares, mapped out my coming days.

 

Even more plans.

 

Yes, those squares denoting future time were filling up. I used a lot of ink on some weeks.

 

Something. Every. Day.

 

All good and worthy activities, my busyness is. But …

 

As I hold the beginning of next year’s plans in my hands, am I offering my schedule to God? Am I planning time to pray and time to listen to God? Am I open to His appointments as well as to Him cancelling my plans for His plans?

 

Do I make God first?

While I do spend my first hour with Him, and even turn over my to-do list to Him, am I willing to listen to my heart telling me to…

 

• Spend time with my next-door neighbor?
• Call a friend that’s been on my mind a lot lately?
• Visit a shut-in, a new mom, or someone in rehab?

 

The will of God for your life is simply that you submit yourself to Him each day and say, ”Father, Your will for today is mine. You lead me today and I will follow.”

—Kay Arthur

 

I must remember that His cancellations and last-minute appointments are more important than anything written or drawn in my planner with colorful pens.

God never guides us at some time in the future, but always here and now. Realize that the Lord is here now, and the freedom you receive is immediate. −Oswald Chambers

I need to make time, every day, to meet God throughout the day.

 

What about you? How do you schedule your time with God in planning your days?

 

 

Blessings and serenity,

 

Carol