Enthusiastically, Dawn

O LORD, you are my God;
I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
you have done marvelous things,
things planned long ago.
Isaiah 25:1

I wrote this short post in 2012 as a guest contributor for 5 Minutes for Mom’s  faith based sister website 5 Minutes for Faith. I believe is still one of the the most honest and revealing posts I have ever written. It is one of those moments of observing who I am in my humanity, and who I am through the eyes of grace. When I wrote this, I wanted to show what I believed the root of the struggle was really all about for me and how I choose to continue to trust, even though I stumble, fall and fail. Because the One who upholds me in my imperfection, is Perfect, and I am free to be me…imperfectly. 

I’ve pulled it out of the archives to share again, as Planner Boot Camp approaches. I pray it blesses those who read it for the first time. I hope it gives insight into the heart of Planning with Purpose and my heart in Planner Boot Camp.

Thank you for taking the time to read. I pray it blesses you wherever you are in your own walk of faith. 

I am a planner person. You will rarely find me without my trusty little leather bound companion which I dote over painstakingly planning the days and weeks ahead like a master chess player strategizing each move in a championship game.

It’s no surprise then, when I see my day unravel like a stray ball of yarn discovered and enjoyed by a playful kitten, I get a bit miffed.

This is one of the reasons it brings me great comfort and peace to remember my God is the one who is The Master Planner. He is not surprised nor taken aback by the unraveling of my day. He does not get angry at mischievous kittens or unraveled yarn balls. He does not take pleasure in disturbing my peace.

Unless the peace I am seeking is a peace that comes apart from Him. 

A peace that seeks to usurp His purpose and plan for my days and comes from the hand of flesh. A worldly peace. A false god.

Or in a word: idol.

This is what the LORD says:
Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
JEREMIAH 17:5

I realize the one who is The Master Planner is also the one who brings peace and who is Peace itself.

But, when I start counting on the plans I have made, my peace is in danger. When my confidence begins to depend on the outcome of my plans, I am headed for trouble. When I start to look longer at my planning pages than longingly gaze into the eyes of my beloved, the one who loves me and knows the beginning from the end, who holds my days and plans firmly in His grasp, I am my missing out on my life’s true purpose.

So what’s a planner girl to do?

Do I throw away that precious, portable partner that travels with me everywhere, capturing my plans, thoughts, goals and ideas? I think not. But I purpose to plan my days prayerfully, with The Master Planner by my side. I am learning that as I surrender my plans and days to Him and trust Him who is my peace for every moment planned and especially for the ones that are unplanned, my peace and confidence is rightly placed. My miff factor is actually decreased and the sweet little kitten that messes with my yarn, well I can laugh and roll with that, too.

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
Jeremiah 17:7

For he himself is our peace…
Ephesians 2:14

For information about Planner Boot Camp, check out the PBC HOME PAGE !