THE LAW OF WISE PLANNING
Proverbs 24:3-4
Benjamin Franklin said; “By failing to plan, you are preparing to fail”. Any man that wants to accomplish great feats in life must be a planner. You do not just arrive at greatness. The place of preparation is very important and it begins with planning. It pays to plan ahead. No tangible progress can be made in life without thinking and planning. You cannot afford to leave your life to mere wishes. Have concrete plans and set goals for the future you anticipate.
Planning gives meaning to life and enables you to take charge and order your life. In 1 Corinthians 14:40, Apostle Paul admonishes: “But be sure that everything is done properly and in order”. One of the proofs of order is planning. Anywhere you find disorderliness, it is a proof that planning was not prioritized. Think about your priorities for the future: If you want to be a great person in life, sit down and plan. “A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences” (Prov. 27:12 NLT). Be like the wise man that sits down to count the cost before commencing a project. Jesus said someone who would build a tower must first sit down and count the cost before embarking on the project (Luke 14:28).
Planning requires that you consider where you are now, where you want to be at a certain future and what it will take you to move from where you are now to where you want to be. Those who do it wisely arrive at their destination with the help of God. Those who do not, keep wandering around in the maze of life. It is important that we must make our planning realistic. If you want to achieve greatness, you cannot give room to wishful thinking. Setting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound (SMART) objectives is the way to plan to achieve your goals in life.
Life in itself is a series of interconnected and carefully woven processes. It follows a law of cause & effect. Nothing just happens by accident. Remember the analogy of travelling, to go from one place to another, you’ll consider the means of travelling, the direction to get there, the time it will take, the resources required etc. Imagine if you had chosen to embark on the journey without enough resources, take fuel for example.
Remember also the story of the ten virgins, five ran out of oil and they were considered unwise. This particular scenario excites me because those five ran out of oil partly because the bridegroom tarried. This simply means that they most likely were expecting the groom earlier, but he tarried. So wise planning involves preparing for eventualities and making adequate allowance for them. There will always be obstacles, storms, delay and so on. Part of what proper planning will do for you is that it will help you adjust and still be on track of your life goals.
A good plan involves identifying a goal, the time required to achieve that goal, resources needed to achieve it and leave room for eventualities. Note that resources are not limitless so you can’t afford to waste resources in the name of giving room for unforeseen circumstances.
MEDITATION: Planning is not enough; wise planning is better.
