Planning is Easy ~ Greg J

While I was student teaching at Moberly Middle School, sometimes I sat in a back corner of my room grading papers while a “Careers” class proceeded.  One day their teacher asked the students to draw a picture of their future work.  

Many of the kids enjoyed basketball. They sketched slam dunks.  Other kids liked to draw horses. They drew horses. I found cause to visit the other side of the room and noticed several drawings. A rock star in shades. An astronaut. A drooling race car driver with large bloodshot eyeballs. A hair stylist or brain surgeon, I couldn’t be sure. Batman. A capitol building. Another horse. A carpenter. No teachers.

The students were summoned to the front to show their drawings and describe their future careers. One young lady held up her well-composed landscape and pointed out its features.

“This is the south part of my country house.  I will have other houses. This is my yellow convertible for summer driving.  Here is the pool, and the tennis court, and my two lovely daughters and their horses. And back here under the tree, it’s hard to see, but this is where my rich dead husband is buried.”

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Lots of people have definite plans for you!  The salesperson wants you to buy stuff. The oncoming driver doesn't know your name, but expects you to stay in your lane.  Everyone counts on you to pay taxes.

My own plans for me are not elaborate. My plans often do not match subsequent events. This week at work I turned in my part of the budget for a new contract. The next day equipment failed. I submitted an eight thousand dollar unbudgeted item.  D'oh!

A Chinese fellow observed to me, “Planning is easy, except with respect to the future.” *

Consider this from Proverbs 16:

      The mind of a man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.

My old idea was, “God, you take care of the big things like world peace. I will take care of the small things like getting groceries.”  But God transcends my presumptuous assignments.  God controls from beginning to end.  God controls the horizontal and the vertical.  I make one big choice:

     Trust the Lord with all your heart,
          and don't depend on your own understanding.
     Remember the Lord in all you do,
          and he will give you success.
     - Proverbs 3

     Seek first God's kingdom and what God wants.
     Then all your other needs will be met as well.
     - Matthew 6



* "Planning (is) easy, except about what comes." is a wooden translation from the Chinese language. When I mentioned this to a physicist I know, he grinned and revealed that he too was  intrigued by a similar quip and traced it to Danish physicist Neils Bohr.  Bohr may have been quoting a Danish proverb.

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