Resolved: Not to Make Any New Year’s Resolutions

Congratulations to me! I’ve succeeded in keeping the one resolution that I made at the start of 2025: I resolved not to make any other resolutions. Success!

 

Most resolutions are like ice cubes in the hot sun. They don’t last long. They’re the paving material for the roads to good intentions and wishful thinking. ‘I’m going to lose weight.’ ‘I’m going to exercise regularly.’ ‘I’m going to get out of debt.’ ‘I’m going to start reading my Bible.’ ‘I’m going to travel more this year.’ ‘I’m going to become a kinder person.’ If you’re a resolutions maker, you can probably add to that list.

 

Unfortunately, when it comes to resolutions, it’s not the thought that counts. They lack staying power, and as soon as you break a resolution that’s it. Game over. ‘I knew I couldn’t do it!’

 

Spending consistent time in the 
Scriptures is a worthwhile goal.

Does that mean we should forsake all efforts to make personal changes and strive for improvement? Not at all. But I’d suggest that instead of all-or-nothing resolutions, set goals instead. Use them as targets to aim toward. Some are reachable very quickly; others require perseverance over the long haul – a year or even longer.

For example: Instead of making a resolution to always eat right and radically change your lifestyle to become fit, set a goal. One that’s reasonable, measurable and attainable. That way, as the adage goes, if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. 

 

Years ago, a friend showed me the value of setting goals for different areas of life. Such as physical, mental, financial, relational, vocational, and spiritual. At the time my family had considerable debt, so we established a workable strategy and goals for digging ourselves out. As Proverbs 22:7 observes, “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” It took time but we eventually were able to extricate ourselves from financial servitude.

 

I’ve consistently set goals for other areas of my life, but perhaps most important has been the spiritual. What kinds of goals can you set for that? Reading through the Bible in one year is one I’ve been able to achieve a number of times. If you set a resolution, “I’m going to read the Bible every day,” and miss even once you might conclude, ‘Why even try?’ However, if you set it as a goal, even if you miss a day or two you can always catch up when you have more time. There are a variety of schedules can be useful for doing that.

 

Why bother reading through the Bible? The first of the Psalms speaks about this: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked…. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2). If we don’t determine to focus on God and His Word, our minds are sure to find something else to focus on.

 

Scripture memory has proved to be another very helpful goal, seeking to memorize Bible passages that had special meaning for me. King David wrote, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your word…. I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:9-11).

 

We find a similar principle in Joshua 1:8, which God spoke to Joshua as he was preparing to succeed Moses as leader of the Israelites: “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” We live in a world that bombards us with messages contrary to what the Lord teaches us through the Scriptures. Memorizing and meditating on the Word of God helps us to cultivate thinking that aligns with His will for us.

 

A much broader spiritual goal might be to know the Lord better and, in the process to become more and more like Him. For this reason, years ago I adopted the first portion of Philippians 3:10 as presented in the Amplified Bible for my own purpose or mission statement. In effect, the apostle Paul was making this his life goal: “That I may know Him, that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His person more strongly and more clearly.”

 

Obviously, this isn’t something to be accomplished through a one-time resolution; it’s a lifelong goal. As Paul stated just two verses later, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Philippians 3:12).

As we proceed into another new year, filled with uncertainties, challenges, opportunities, and unexpected twists and turns, I hope you choose to set some definitive goals – perhaps very different from mine – that will enable you to grow and flourish in becoming and doing whatever the Lord puts before you. Happy New Year!  

Resolutions, Goals, and Plans of Mice and Men

How can it be that another calendar year is nearly over? Valentine’s Day was just yesterday, wasn’t it?

 

This image from a Jacquie Lawson 
E-card captures old sentiments.

People exhibit a variety of reactions concerning the end of one year and the start of another. For some, it’s ‘Good riddance!’ The old year can’t end soon enough. For others, it’s a fond farewell, cherishing the achievements and memories created along the way. What the words of the traditional year-ender, “Auld Lang Syne,” mean depends on what kind of year you’ve had: “Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?”

Nevertheless, 2025 will be upon us before we know it. The brilliant shining ball at Times Square will have dropped, and ready or not, we’ll venture in the new year filled with hopes, expectations, and perhaps some uncertainty.

 

One way of trying to limit that uncertainty is to prepare for the coming year. Some of us formulate resolutions, others set specific and measurable goals, while others engage in detailed planning. As I’ve noted in the past, I’m not an advocate of resolutions because they’re so easily broken and then forgotten. 

 

According to some studies, the average lifespan of most resolutions is about two weeks. Quitting smoking, losing weight, limiting screen time, and exercising more all sound like great ideas. Until the time comes for implementing those resolutions. Most of us, once we fail, promptly quit. ‘I knew I couldn’t do it. Why bother?’

 

I prefer setting goals, since they allow for failure along the way. If I resolve to read through the Bible over the course of the year and miss a day or two, I can always catch up later. If I determine to save a certain amount of money each month but unanticipated expenses come up, there’s always next month.

 

The reality of it is, no matter how committed we are to our resolutions and/or goals, there’s always the unexpected. At times, very unexpected. In his classic poem, “To a Mouse,” Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote (in modern English), “The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.” To put it another way, life happens when we’re making other plans.

 

So, what’s the point of goal-setting and planning? Should we just ‘let life happen,’ adopting a fatalistic view of life? I don’t think so. Instead, it’s wise to recognize that while life can and does take surprising twists and turns, we can trust in our God who’s never caught by surprise or unprepared.

 

The Scriptures offer great wisdom about the planning process and the importance of letting the Lord be part of that process. The book of Proverbs alone gives numerous insights. My personal favorite is Proverbs 3:5-6, which I consider my life’s verse: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” I’ve lost count of the times I had my ideas, God had His ideas, and His proved to be much better than mine.

 

Another verse urges us, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed” (Proverbs 16:3). That doesn’t mean God is obligated to bless everything we decide to do. What it does mean is if we determine to make our plans in light of our devotion to the Lord, He will guide us in the planning process.

 

A brief passage from another Old Testament book affirms this. Psalm 37:4-6 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.” When our delight in God and commitment to Him are paramount, He will ensure that our desires align with His own.

 

We could cite many other Bible passages, but three more from Proverbs are particularly helpful for those of us who are planners. Both point to God’s sovereignty – that ultimately He works everything according to His will and purposes.

 

Proverbs 16:9 tells us, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Then we read, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21). And third, “A man’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?” (Proverbs 20:24).

 

We can regard these assurances from a negative perspective, as if to say, “Who does God think He is to decide what I’m going to do?” However, trusting in God’s omniscience – being all-knowing – can give us much peace and confidence that even if our plans are faulty or misdirected, the Lord is fully able to counter our foolish limitations and redirect our plans in ways we couldn’t have dreamed or expected.

 

As we read in Ephesians 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!”

 

If we can keep these promises in mind as we make our resolutions, set our goals or develop our plans, we’ll find things going much better than we could have hoped. Happy planning – and Happy New Year!

We Can Be Certain About Life’s Uncertainty

Be honest: Has life turned out pretty much the way you expected? No major changes in direction, just about everything going according to plan? If that’s the case for you, congratulations. You’re in a very small minority – perhaps the only one. 

 

Life has a way of taking unexpected detours, especially when the path ahead seems certain and without obstacles. As someone has said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re making other plans.” This observation’s been attributed to a number of different people, but I suspect it originated with someone like Aristotle or Socrates. 

Then there’s the wit and “wisdom” of Yogi Berra, the iconic New York Yankees’ catcher who once quipped, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Poet Robert Frost stated it a bit differently, perhaps more profoundly when he wrote, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

 

Looking back over the course of my own life to this point, I’ve encountered quite a few forks in the road. And I’d like to think I’ve taken at least a few roads less traveled, although admittedly not always of my own choosing. 

 

There’s no way I could have predicted the course my life and career would take: Where I would start going to college, where I’d end up, and that journalism would be my final major. Spending a decade as editor of community newspapers. Overseeing publications for several parachurch ministries and non-profits. Interviewing dozens of “Who’s Who” folks while myself qualifying only for “Who’s He?” Writing not just a book or one magazine article, but many.

 

Most unexpected has been the spiritual journey I’ve been on, especially over the past 40-plus years. For whatever reason, I always believed in God. Maybe it’s because, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,” as Ephesians 1:4 states. However, in my early years I knew nothing of that. Aside from Sunday church attendance, I lived as a practical atheist, busily doing my own thing, trying to do life on my own terms. Except during times of crisis, when in my “foxhole faith” I’d remember to call on God. Once the crisis passed, it was back to captaining my own ship. 

 

Then in my early 30s I encountered a pastor – a former journalist – who excelled at presenting biblical truth in ways that were both practical and relevant for my life. Through His teaching the Scriptures came alive. For the first time I realized the Bible was not as I would have termed it then, “a manual for preachers,” but God’s guidebook for living. Who knew it would become the spiritual GPS for my life?

 

The complexities and convolutions of life can be confounding. We’d all like to believe we’re in control, but time and experience reveal that’s an illusion. Another poet, Robert Burns, summed it up well: “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” What then are we to do? Gnash our teeth in frustration? Sit in a corner and pout? Shake our fists in anger because luck, fate – or God – won’t allow things to work as we think they should?

 

There was a time when I’d do one or more of those things. Thankfully, one of the key lessons along my spiritual trek has been that Father knows best – our heavenly Father that is, not the affable TV character portrayed by actor Robert Young in the 1950s. As Proverbs 20:24 phrases it, “A man’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?” 

 

Just when we think we’ve got things figured out, God changes them around because He’s got a better idea. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t plan and set goals. It doesn’t mean if God gives us a vision for something we shouldn’t pursue it. But we need to understand, as the Lord declares in Isaiah 55:9, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

When following Jesus Christ, we must learn to be flexible, adaptable. We need to write our goals and plans not in pen, but in pencil (with good erasers). Unlike the “long and winding road” that left the Beatles standing and waiting years ago, in God’s time His road takes us directly to where He wants us to go. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6). 

All the Best-Laid Plans and Goals – Tempered by Trust

Happy New Year! So, here we are in unfamiliar, uncharted territory affectionately (at least so far) called 2024. We all know what 2023 gave us, its many ups and downs, twists and turns, joys and frustrations. But what this new year will present, even the sharpest prognosticators can only guess.

 

On a “macro” sense we have little control over decisions made and actions taken globally, nationally, and even at the state and local levels. That, as they say, is “above our pay grade.” However, what we can control is the way we approach the new year, our individual “micro” strategy. 

 

Experience has taught me one of the best ways of doing this is by planning and goal-setting. Just days from now many of our new year’s resolutions will have been broken, but plans we make and goals we establish can still be earnestly pursued.

 

Goals, as I’ve said before, are far superior to resolutions in my opinion. We make resolutions with good intentions, but then we break them and poof! That’s that. Oh well, maybe next year. Goals, on the other hand, are things we can work toward all year long. 

 

Is our goal to lose weight? If we miss an exercise session or eat more than we should, there’s always tomorrow. Want to get out of debt? It can’t be done overnight, but we can whack away at that mountain of “I owe’s” and make steady progress. The important thing to remember about goals is they should be quantifiable, measurable, and attainable. Deciding you want to lose 30 pounds by next week, or get freed up from $30,000 in debt by next month is merely wishful thinking.

 

You might ask yourself questions like: Where am I going (or hoping to go)? How am I going to get there? And how will I know when I’ve arrived?

 

This also applies to the planning process. If we want to change jobs or careers; finally take that long-awaited vacation; or gain more practical understanding of the Bible, it would help to establish a timeline, identify some specific steps to take, and clarify for ourselves what we intend to do. As some old sage once said, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.”

 

At the same time, one critical step in goal-setting or planning many of us often overlook is to pray about it in advance. As another wise guy has observed, “Man plans – and God laughs.” Because the Lord’s plans are always better than the ones we can come up with apart from His guidance and direction.

 

In Jeremiah 29:11, He declares, “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not for harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Through the wonderful hindsight that a lifetime of experience can provide, God typically has never consulted with me about what He intended to do in my life, but again and again I’ve discovered, “Father knows best.”

 

This doesn’t mean those who desire to follow Jesus Christ as called to sit idly on stumps and watch the Lord do all the work. In one of my favorite psalms we find this admonition from King David: “Trust in the Lord and do good… Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and He will do it. He will bring out your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday” (Psalm 37:3-6).

 

In the very next verse, however, we read words we don’t necessarily want to hear. It says, “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” God’s plans are perfect – as is His timing. Even if His timing doesn’t align with the timeframe we desire.

 

The book of Proverbs has much to tell us about planning and goal-setting. For instance, Proverbs 16:3 urges, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” The key is to commit our plans to the Lord – and be willing to accept His course corrections. Because as Proverbs 16:9 notes, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”

 

We could cite many other passages from the Scriptures, but this one offers a good overview: “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21).

 

Starting this new year filled with hope and potential, I wish you happy setting of goals and formulating of plans. Committing them to the Lord and trusting in Him as you do so.

God’s Unique Plan for Every One of Us

Have you ever wondered how you got to where you are now from where you were years ago, even as a child or a young person? The course of life is never what we expect, and often we encounter twists and turns we could never have imagined. If you’ll indulge me briefly, I’d like to use myself as an example.

 

I’ve often thought that if I were to write a book about the path my life has taken, I’d give it the title, “You Can’t Get There from Here.” Growing up in New Jersey, I headed southwest to attend a college in Houston, Texas. At the time I had no plans of pursuing a writing career but was fortunate to have an English instructor who thought differently. She offered encouragement, saying she saw promise in me as a writer and even urged me to enter an essay contest, which I happened to win.

 

That prompted me to change my major to English. However, envisioning having to poetically ponder flowers and trees or study the likes of Shakespeare, Chaucer and Lord Byron, I determined instead to find a school that offered a strong journalism curriculum. That made Columbus, Ohio the next stop on my itinerary.

 

Journalism and I fit together like the proverbial hand in glove; two professors in particular impressed upon me the art of newswriting along with the virtues of objectivity, fairness and balanced reporting. (That was before modern journalists decided such things aren’t necessary.) I took only one class in photojournalism as an undergrad, but as a graduate teaching assistant my assignment was to teach…photojournalism. That year I learned as much about the craft as the students I was teaching to load raw film into canisters, process exposed film, print photos and master various skills in those bygone days before digital cameras.

 

Upon graduating, my intention to get my first job on a metropolitan daily newspaper was cast aside. My only job offer came from a community newspaper in a Columbus suburb. So, instead of being pigeon-holed as a copy editor, police beat reporter or even an obituary writer, my responsibilities as editor were wide-ranging. They included covering city government, local schools and the school board, high school sports and the community theater, writing editorials, columns and features, doing engagement and wedding announcements, obituaries – and lots of photography.

 

Did I mention I met my wife and we started our family together there?

 

That diverse experience opened doors for other opportunities, including a brief stint on a suburban daily newspaper, back to Houston to work as editor of a much larger community newspaper. There I gained experience not only on the editorial side but also the business side of publishing a newspaper, which prepared me for subsequent ministry roles in the business and professional world after we moved to Chattanooga.

 

Most important, God used each stop to advance my spiritual pilgrimage, which ultimately has made all the difference in my becoming – and continuing to become – the person I am today. Early in my walk with Jesus Christ, I came across a passage that seemed to sum up my life’s meandering course: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

 

I could not have planned out the ways God would direct me. In fact, I’m glad I couldn’t because my life certainly wouldn’t have turned out as it has. Another verse I have embraced is Jeremiah 29:11, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” 

 

A fulfilling life, I’ve learned, is not a passive one, sitting on a stump waiting for things to happen. We have to take initiative when opportunities present themselves, but ultimately the outcome rests in the Lord’s hands. Many times I thought I knew what needed to happen, and when it didn’t, I felt disappointment, even discouragement. But in retrospect, I came to appreciate the truth of Romans 8:28, “and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

Recovery groups often use the so-called “serenity prayer” to encourage participants, but in a real sense, it encapsulates a healthy way to view and understand our lives as they unfold: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” We have our part; God has His, and together we can create a life that brings us joy and gives Him much glory. 

A Not-So-Fond Farewell and an Eager Welcome

Somebody really should do something about the convergence of Christmas and New Year’s that comes after only seven days. The echoes of carols have barely faded, and gifts lie hardly unwrapped, as we start preparing to sing “Auld Lang Syne” and kick the old year to the curb. (Although, given the kind of year 2021 turned out to be, maybe it would have been nice if we could have done that months ago.)

During these last moments of the old year, we often stop to look back, reflecting on the good and bad, the things we accomplished and things that fell short of success. I typically revisit old goals, to see how many of them I reached and determine which unrealized goals should be carried over into the new year. There are always surprises – what I didn’t get done, and things I did that I hadn’t expected to do.

 

But in general, there’s limited value in looking back. The past is in the past, cast in stone; while we can learn from failures and revel momentarily in our successes, the best thing we can do with the present is prepare for the future. I’m with the apostle Paul who wrote, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

 

Paul had much to regret from his pre-Christ days, as the zealous Pharisee Saul, but rather than dwell on that, he used it as motivation to propel him to fuller service to Jesus and His people. Every chance he got, Paul told people about how the Lord had transformed his life and how He could do the same for them. He was perhaps the most forward-thinking of the apostles.

 

As Christ followers, we should be the same. We might rejoice over what He has done in and through our lives over the past year, but now’s the time to prepare for what the Lord has for us in the new year. How, through His enabling power, we can become more effective witnesses for Him – by our lives as well as our words.

 

Each of us is different, so our goals and plans should align with where God has uniquely placed us, what gifts He has given to us, and what passions He has placed in our hearts. Even though the shift from 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31 to midnight on Jan. 1 is but a single minute, we can still see it as a fresh start filled with unlimited opportunities.

 

Here are a few suggestions I’ve found helpful to consider as we enter another calendar year:

 

First, I’d suggest making time alone with God a priority. Maybe you’re already doing this – devoting a portion of each day to reading and studying the Scriptures, praying and seeking His guidance, which is essential. As with any relationship, giving the Lord our undivided time and attention is one way of drawing closer to Him. 

 

There are countless Bible reading plans, including ways to read through it in a year. I’ve just finished using one. But most important, time in the Word of God daily – whether it’s a verse, a chapter or several chapters – is invaluable. As Hebrews 4:12 assures us, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

 

I’ve read through the Scriptures numerous times, and yet every time there’s always much I didn’t see before, or a principle that strikes me in a new way. As we grow in our faith, the Word of God grows on us.

 

Memorizing and meditating on the Scriptures is one way to plant God’s truth in our lives permanently. As King David wrote, drawing from experience, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word…. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:9,11).

 

Prayer is a mystery, speaking and sharing our hearts with Someone we can’t see, but we do so in faith, with hope and expectation. The very first Bible verse I ever learned says we’re to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and that means it’s something we can do at any time throughout the day, even when we’re in an important meeting, driving a car (with our eyes opened), or walking through a mall. 

 

One secret for spiritual growth is a willingness, even an eagerness, to share what we’ve learned with others. Paul exhorted his protégé, Timothy, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2). There’s an amazing principle that as we share from what the Lord has given us, He in turn entrusts us with more. Whether it’s money or spiritual truth, as someone has said, “You can’t outgive God.”

We have all journeyed through the past year, encountering many bumps and obstacles along the way. But by the grace of God, we’re still here and poised to start a new 365-day trip, one certain to be filled with surprises and challenges, joys and disappointments. As I prepare to do so, I continue to cling to a passage that has served me well for more than 40 years: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Blessings for a fruitful – and faithful – new year! 

A Practical Template for Undertaking Critical Projects

We spend much of our everyday lives going through the motions: Waking up, making breakfast, getting cleaned up, fixing the bed. Going to work, whether that means riding in the car (or a bus or a train) or just moving to the next room and the computer for another day at the home office. Driving to the grocery store and collecting what’s on the shopping list. Turning on the TV and seeing if there’s anything worth watching.

 

Sometimes, however, important tasks or projects arise, ones that can’t be carried out without some intentionality. It might be the need for a major, unexpected purchase; the necessity to “reset” plans that have been in place for a while, or the realization that an important project can’t be delayed any longer. Something must be done, but where do you start?

 

I enjoy reading the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, which tells about the trusted cupbearer for King Artaxerxes of Persia. A brother had told Nehemiah about the sorry state of once-proud Jerusalem, its wall broken down and gates burned. Even though he had spent most or all of his life in Persia as an Israelite exile, Nehemiah still viewed the ancient city as his homeland. 

 

Grieving over its devastation, he resolved something had to be done. How Nehemiah proceeded can serve as a template for any complex endeavors we need to undertake. Piggybacking on some points made recently by radio pastor Alistair Begg, here’s a synopsis of the process Nehemiah followed:

 

Prayerful preparation. It’s often said, “When all else fails…pray.” However, Nehemiah resorted to prayer beforehand, to ensure that he wouldn’t fail. “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4). The passage then recaps the cupbearer’s eloquent prayer, including corporate confession of the Israelites’ rebellious sins and a request for success when he approached the Persian king with his concerns.

 

Common sense. Even though he desperately wanted to leave ASAP for Jerusalem, Nehemiah knew such an impulsive move wouldn’t sit well with King “Art.” Instead, he elected to just go about his duties, providing wine for the king as usual, and waited for his highness to make the first move. “I had not been sad in his presence before, so the king asked me, ‘Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.’” 

 

Given an opening, Nehemiah explained, “…Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” To which Artaxerxes responded, “What is it you want?” (Nehemiah 2:1-3). Even then, before blurting out what he desired to do, Nehemiah returned momentarily to step 1 and prayed for God’s direction and blessing on his request.

 

Wise man. Too often we make our move and then think, “Oops, forgot to pray first. All right, um, God, please bless my decision?” And we wonder why sometimes our best-laid plans go awry.

 

Careful thought. Once Nehemiah had told the king about his intent to return to Jerusalem to see about doing an extreme makeover, and received the king’s go-ahead, the valued cupbearer already had a clear plan of action in mind, including where to obtain the necessary materials and resources. It wasn’t just a pipedream – Nehemiah had even considered the kinds of pipes he would need. (Okay, what he needed was a supply of timbers, not pipes, along with official documents to ensure his safe travel.)

 

Sensible action. Once he arrived at Jerusalem, Nehemiah discovered the city’s condition was not as bad as he had thought – it was worse. Initially, he revisited steps 1-3, prayerfully assessing the extent of the damage and then formulating a specific strategy before presenting his ideas to the city officials who had remained there. “Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem….’ I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, ‘Let us start rebuilding.’ So they began this good work” (Nehemiah 2:17-18).

 

The rest of the book tells of the opposition Nehemiah and the builders faced, and how they took courage and stayed on task, amazingly completing the reconstruction in 52 days. During the entire time, his and others’ prayers continued to seek God’s strength, wisdom and blessing on their labors.

Are you confronting a major challenge at work – or in your home? Are you facing a critical decision that could have a huge impact on your future? You might consider following Nehemiah’s process of prayerful preparation, common sense, careful thought and then, sensible action. It’s one that has been utilized countless times to great success. 

The Problem with Planning

Goals. Deadlines. Plans. Expectations. Dreams. These are all good, at least in principle. Most of the time. As the old saying goes, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” However, as a modern paraphrase of the Robert Burns poem also points out, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”

Plans are best written in pencil.

Sometimes, as most of us have discovered, plans aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. We encounter interruptions, unexpected obstacles, or our “ducks in a row” refuse to line up. Intentions that look so good one day fall short the next. Some have surmised that many of God’s greatest laughs must come as He previews our plans.

For many years I’ve been a strong advocate of goal-setting and planning. I learned to make constant companions of my day planners, and I’ve delighted in crossing off items on my to-do lists and writing in things to do in future days and weeks. Plan your work and work your plan. Our recent trip to Italy was the culmination on months of preparations. Just the other day, I scheduled my annual physical for next year. 

However, with the glorious 20:20 clarity of hindsight, I’ve learned plans should be elastic, sometimes even disposable. Because stuff happens – and sometimes it doesn’t. I think of aspirations I had in college; some of those came to fruition while others couldn’t have been more off-target. I couldn’t possibly have planned the directions my career would take or the things I would be able to achieve, along with the worthwhile goals I would never realize.

It’s humbling, sometimes humiliating, but always important to realize as much as we would like to believe the contrary, we’re not in control of many things that go on in our lives. As Proverbs 27:1 admonishes, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”

But we need to plan, don’t we? It’s irresponsible to face each new day with no idea of what we’re going to do, right? Yes, it is. But we need to balance that necessity with a recognition that God’s thoughts of what we should undertake might be very different from our own. “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:13-15).

In His “sermon on the mount,” Jesus offered a similar warning about being too presumptuous about the future, even one day ahead. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear… Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?... Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:25-34).

Someone has wisely observed that “life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” This doesn’t prohibit us from setting goals, planning for the future, or trying to figure out how to complete our “bucket list.” That new job or next promotion probably will require some preparations. Next summer’s vacation arrangements won’t take care of themselves. And forward-thinking for Christmas is well-advised. But these all should be filtered through a willingness to submit to God’s plans, knowing His are superior to our own.

As Jesus told his audience, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).

Not at All the Way We Planned It

How often over your life’s experience have you looked back and thought, “Well, that definitely didn’t go the way I expected!”? I suspect we’ve all encountered circumstances like that often. Sometimes this is good; sometimes it’s bad. 

An aspiring entrepreneur starts a business, full of enthusiasm, hope and dreams. A year later, she has to close it down due to too many expenses and too little revenue. Not at all what she expected. A couple goes house hunting and finds the house of their dreams, but someone comes in with a higher offer, or they can’t obtain the necessary financing. Great disappointment follows – until they find another house that fits both their “want” list and their budget. And the couple living next door becomes their best friends for many years. Again, not at all what they expected.

Yogi Berra said, "When you come to a fork in the road,
take it." Better yet, ask God which was to go.

This is why one of my favorite Bible verses in Proverbs 16:9, which declares, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Another verse says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21).

So many times over my life I’ve seen – often only with the 20:20 vision of hindsight – how God would interrupt and overrule my plans so He could reveal a own plan and purpose I couldn’t have envisioned. This has been especially true over the course of my career.

As I was finishing up my journalism degree in college, I was anticipating getting a job with a daily newspaper. (That was in the pre-Internet days when newspapers were still a big deal.) Instead, the opportunity that presented itself was to become editor of a small, weekly community newspaper. Not the position I’d hoped for, but it turned out to be far better than I could have imagined. 

It required me to serve not only as editor, but also local government and school board reporter, features writer, photographer, sports writer, columnist and editorial writer. I even did police reports, wedding announcements and obits. The depth and breadth of experience I gained during more than six years at that newspaper laid the foundation for 40 subsequent years of writing and editing. Not only that, but in that suburban Columbus, Ohio town I met the woman who has been my wife for nearly 44 years!

I did interrupt my tenure at that little newspaper to work for several months at a daily newspaper in suburban Philadelphia. However, as it turned out, God took me there only for much-needed, intense training before I returned to community newspapers. Overall, my 10 years on those papers paved the way for becoming a magazine writer and editor, as well as many other writing opportunities.

As the verse above states, I had planned my course, but the Lord determined my steps – and they often didn’t go at all as I had expected. As a result, long ago I adopted a similar passage, Proverbs 3:5-6, as my “life verse”: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

This truth can manifest itself in every area of life, if only we’re willing to recognize it. A young woman dreams of becoming a mom, but for years she and her husband are unsuccessful at becoming pregnant. Instead, they elect to adopt two little boys, years apart, and now they can’t imagine their lives without either one. Because of her infertility, God blesses them with two beautiful sons – and two unwanted babies find a wonderful, loving home.

You can probably think of similar examples from your own life, times when circumstances took you down paths you never anticipated, but in retrospect realized that although things didn’t go as planned, it turned out they went much better than you could have hoped. 

As Jeremiah 10:23 tells us, “I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.” Comparing what I had in mind with what God actually did, most of the time I’ve been very glad that’s true. 

Ya Gotta Have a Plan!

As someone wise first observed, the road to failure – and lots of other bad places – is paved with good intentions. We have a worthwhile idea, fully intend to get around to it someday, but when “someday” arrives, we haven’t done anything.

The problem is, intentions without well-conceived plans – plans subsequently executed – are like clouds that one moment look white and fluffy, then dissipate moments later. Intentions are good. They serve as seeds for future endeavors, whether it’s learning a foreign language, acquiring skills to find a better job, deciding to take up a musical instrument, losing weight, improving a relationship, or growing closer to God.

Plans, without action, are
little more than good intentions.

But intentions are like the starting line of a race. They won’t get you to the finish line until they are activated with a specific plan in mind. Brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright are known as “the fathers of powered flight,” but it’s likely other people had similar ideas. They might even have intended to invent something to bring their ideas into reality. But the Wright brothers were the ones that did it, devising very specific plans and performing the hard work to carry out the plans.

The world’s greatest musicians, business leaders, surgeons, statesmen, writers, designers all started with a dream. But it didn’t stop there. The idea conceived was birthed through careful, intentional planning that spurred them on to action.

When you woke up this morning, did you have in mind something you intended to do? Have you done it yet? Have you taken even the first step toward getting it done? If not – why not?

There are many principles and philosophies that guide successful enterprises, but often they can be reduced to three simple questions: Where are we going? How are we going to get there? How will we know when we’ve arrived?

In other words, goals and objectives are of little value without plans in place for pursuing and achieving them. This is true not only for the business and professional world, but also for every other facet of living.

Let’s say you’re concerned about your physical conditioning and want to make improvements. Buying exercise videos or joining a fitness club might fortify your intentions, but unless you start putting those to use on a consistent basis – not once every week or three – your intentions will remain nothing more than wishful thinking. The attitude, “I love exercise. I can watch other people doing it for hours,” won’t tone your muscles or shed unwanted pounds.

What about something even more important, like spiritual growth? After all, the Bible observes, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8). Again, many of us have wonderful intentions. We’d like to become wise, godly individuals, people that others would recognize as having a close walk with God. But intentions alone won’t get us there.

So we need a plan. And it’s not something another person can devise for us. We’re all uniquely, “fearfully and wonderfully made,” as Psalm 139:14 reminds us. God has a special, distinct plan for each of us, so what works for me might not work as well for you.

But in every case it should start with striving to know the Lord, and there’s no better way of doing that than spending time in His Word, where He reveals Himself as well as His commandments, laws and principles for everyday life.

After Joshua succeeded Moses in leading the Israelites, God told him, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8).

Psalm 119, all 176 verses of it (by far the longest chapter in the Bible), repeatedly underscores the importance and value of knowing and following the teachings of Scripture. The psalmist states it plainly in writing about God, ”How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your word…. I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:9,11).

However, there’s more to it than simply knowing what the Bible says. It also involves using it to formulate a plan for putting intentions into action. As the apostle Paul exhorted followers of Jesus in the city of Philippi, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9).

And he wrote to his young protégé, Timothy, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

So if our desire is to know God and live fruitfully for Him, we need to move those intentions into a solid, workable plan, built on the foundation of His Word. Then, drawing from the wisdom and insight He gives us, we need to find answers to the three simple questions: When am I going? How am I going to get there? And how will I know when I’ve arrived?

Devise a plan that works – and work your plan.

Write Plans on Paper – God Has the Eraser

Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote, “The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray. And leave us nothing but grief and pain, of promised joy.” (That’s not exactly the words Burns used, but unless you’re partial to his Scottish dialect, the modern English works fine.) Anyway, everyone that’s experienced much of life knows how true that is. Plans, whether big or small, have an annoying way of getting changed – even when you have no say in the matter.

You neatly plan your day and you’re ready to get started when the phone rings. A loved one or a friend has an emergency. “Can you come – right now?” Or you arrive at the office, thinking about the tasks you need to accomplish, when you’re told of an important, unscheduled departmental meeting in 15 minutes. Or the day arrives for the long-awaited outing and, contrary to the weather person’s promise last night, a torrential downpour has settled in.

When you're formulating your plans, avoid writing 
them in ink - and always have an eraser handy.

Years ago, as a new assistant editor at a suburban newspaper, I was toiling alone on a quiet Saturday morning. Saturdays typically were slow news days, so getting my feet wet in drawing up the front pages for the day seemed a simple task. I’d finished my layout sheets to instruct people in the composing room where each article and photo was to go. I was basking in a feeling of accomplishment when the unthinkable happened: the bell on the wire service machine rang, alerting me to major breaking news.

“Oh, no,” I thought. “The pages are done. I can’t make changes now!” I was tempted to act as if I’d gone suddenly deaf and hadn’t heard the bell, but was experienced enough to know that when news breaks you can’t ignore it.

A school bus had crashed in California, killing a number of students. Even though the news wasn’t from our area, I knew I couldn’t get by with leaving the nice photo of the tall ships and the cute little feature story on the front page. It was time to start over – and the press deadline was approaching.

Before I became overcome with panic, the managing editor came in, just to “check in” and see how I was doing. Seasoned veteran that he was, he immediately assessed the situation, took control, rearranged the stories for the front page, including the account of the tragic crash, and the paper was ready for the presses with minutes to spare.

Rather than berating my incompetence at coping with a sudden change under pressure, my boss offered a kindly word of advice I’ve cherished ever since: “Always have a plan B.”

Recently I read a quote that said, “Write your plans on paper – and remember that God has the eraser.” Looking over my more than six decades on earth, considering the convoluted course my life and career have followed, that’s proved true for me. And frankly, I’m glad God is the one with the eraser.

One of the first Bible passages I learned is Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Many times, in both my professional and personal life, I felt certain what I planned to do was right only to discover God had a very different plan. His “plan B.” More often than not, a better plan than I could have imagined.

That’s why I’ve found assurance in this promise: “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:4-7).

When it comes to planning, to borrow the line from the old Robert Young sitcom, Father does know best. He’s good at implementing plan B – and really knows how to handle an eraser.

Living for Today

Recently I was reminded of a favorite song in my youth, “Today,” recorded by The New Christy Minstrels in 1964. Its lyrics include, “Today while the blossoms still cling to the vine, I’ll taste your strawberries, I’ll drink your sweet wine…. Who cares what the morrow shall bring.”

Wonderful, idealistic thinking, right? Even though I loved the song, I really didn’t take it to heart. I was always looking to the future: What to study in college, who I’d marry, what kind of career I’d have. Even after getting married and finishing college, I wasn’t content with “today.” I was always looking to tomorrow – wondering about looking for a different job, setting professional goals, fretting about finances.

Thankfully, the passage of years offers perspective. It’s not just having achieved dreams and goals. It’s also a result of confronting life’s challenges and, having survived them, gaining more appreciation for the moment. Recognizing the importance, as trite as it sounds, of pausing to smell the flowers. Before long, they’re gone.

When you’re young, you can’t wait for the future; as you get older you realize the other side of eternity is much closer than you thought. Each day is a gift, a sacred treasure. As Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

At the same time the Scriptures warn against preoccupation with the unforeseen and unknowable future. Jesus admonished, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34).

Someone has wisely observed, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. We’d be better off heeding the advice of another classic song of the ‘60s, by the Grass Roots: “don’t worry ‘bout tomorrow, hey, hey, hey…live for today.”

Not Making Resolutions

As the year draws to a close, many people pause to make resolutions: stop smoking; lose 30 pounds in two months; read more and watch TV less; be kinder to family and friends. But when they fall flat on their resolve, good intentions are quickly abandoned and former ways restored. That’s why I never make resolutions – I set goals.

The problem with resolutions is they’re all-or-nothing. Once you break them, it’s over. “I knew you couldn’t do it!” Unlike resolutions, goals chart a course, pointing the way toward desired results, and are achieved over time. Like training for a marathon, goals are not instantly accomplished. Progress is what matters, regardless of how small or incremental.

Of course, how do you know if you’re making “progress”? That’s why goals should be measurable and attainable. For instance, “I want to become a nicer person” sounds good, but it’s not a goal – it’s a good intention. However, determining to perform at least one act of kindness on a daily basis is something you can both measure and attain.

If getting physically fit is your goal, you might define that in terms of frequency of exercise, weight loss and other tangible measurements. Over the past two years I have established a very effective exercise regimen and learned about healthier eating. So in 2009 my goal will be to continue my fitness routine and maintain my goal weight. Since this is a goal and not a resolution, if I overindulge on fat grams one or two days, or miss a day of exercise, all is not lost. I just discipline myself to get back on track and refocus on my goals.

Instead of dwelling on failure, anticipate future success. As the Bible says, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” (Philippians 3:13).