Plan To Be Flexible...

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” 
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Plans are delightful things. You come up with a fantastic idea, take steps towards your goal, and then, suddenly, the rug gets jerked out from under you and you find yourself sitting on the ground, wondering what happened. 

Or sometimes... plans just change.

Life happens.

Dreams grow.

What seems important at one stage of your life, seems less important during another.

Three years ago, we purchased the Project House. You may recall that the original plan was to renovate it and then rent it out. Last month, the plan changed as we watched the track-hoe level the house and haul away the remains. Not once did we second guess our choice, knowing that we had made the right decision for direction our life is heading. It was, and still is, such a relief to look out the window and see an empty lot, rather than an abandoned house.

Last Saturday, we found evergreens on clearance at a local home improvement store, and spent the afternoon planning for the future. As we discussed where to plant the trees, we had to think about our long-term plans for the property. Would we add on again? Build a garage? Did we need to leave room for a wider driveway? What if the trees got too close to the neighboring house and we had to cut them down? We reviewed every possibility we have ever discussed, and then planned accordingly. 

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” 

― Abraham Lincoln

No, it's not possible to plan for every eventuality, but failing to plan at all simply sets you up for failure. The reason that we didn't move forward on renovating the Project House is because we recognized that it would be throwing good money at a Money Pit. Instead, we realigned our goals and made a plan to pay off our house, which we did, one year ago. 

While our plans will change as we grow, pray, and follow God's leading in our life, our goal has always remained the same: to be a good steward of the resources He has entrusted to us. We don't always succeed. In fact, sometimes we make a royal mess of things, and then have to pick up the financial pieces and try again. But having a goal, and a plan, make getting back on track a whole lot easier.  

{Little bits of evergreen now, great privacy later}

Do you have a goal you're working towards?

Have you made a plan to help you get there?