Your Plans - How To Plan With Grace In View

{Links are always at the end of your reading.}

Don't start planning your next personal project or event without doing these grounding and unburdening exercises and getting a sneak peek of a planning/devotional page featured in the Soul Care Coloring Notebook & Planner. It's not a formula, rather, it's a flow I use to plan with grace in view for just about anything (small or large).

I hope the following provides a starting point for you to remember that in light of the plans of your heart, it is the LORD's purposes that will prevail. With that in mind, let's breathe...

A Grounding & Unburdening Exercise

Breathe in. The presence and purpose of the LORD. Breathe out. The preoccupation and plans of your mind. Do you need to relinquish and rest from trusting in your plans? Sometimes, having a plan or even not having a plan paralyzes the mind and makes us think we're in control. I'm all about planning, but rigidity in planning or the fear of not having a plan, or not having a well thought out plan can invite panic and mania or for some numbness. Please listen to my heart and put down the planning pistol and do this unburdening exercise with me: 1. In the past 6-12 months, what major plans have unfolded in your life that you had to revamp, tweak or put a halt on? What was Love revealing to you? 2. This week, what 1-2 minor or major matters did you NOT have a plan for and yet, it was something you could've never planned out and executed flawlessly? Don't just think in external matters, consider the internal matters, as well. 3. Did you attach a vision of God's desire with your own desire? For example, you desire to organize something, God's vision for you to do so may be to open you up to an increase of generosity and focus. This becomes your why, not the pressure to organize something, but to become unobstructed to experience His love. This is where He's making you brave and resilient in Him. 4. Remember, in each step we take, it's not in the figuring-it-all-out before a step is made. If Love can direct our steps, hear me well — He can most definitely redirect our missteps. He heals us in and through the unpleasant consequences. And He is the success in the pleasant consequences.

It's about companionship with the Beloved's presence, over clarity with our plan. Sometimes, we overlook and/or underestimate how much direction and assurance we receive just by keeping company with Jesus' presence.

We desire clarity, we pray for clarity, and there's nothing wrong with clarity, but we can easily elevate clarity more than we should. When we don't know which way to step or turn, there's His Presence incessantly bringing us to a place where we discern His companionship over clarity.

The ABCD's to Help You Plan With Grace & Patience In View

I've written and designed a Soul Care Coloring Notebook & Planner. It will be included in each Soul Care Kit — coming in September. I'm sharing some of the first draft pages for beta testing. I'd love to get your feedback to help me as I create a tool that integrates cultivating "a little soul in your plans." It features the following:

1. Accomplishments

The very first and foremost matter is to put a focus on Jesus' accomplishments because they will inform your accomplishments or lack thereof in all of your planning.

2. Benevolence

Any project or event takes a concerted team effort to handle all of the details. Oftentimes, the tendency is to "work for" love, status, ministry or affirmation and not "work from" the sacred team of Christ's love, status, ministry and affirmation.

3. Cravings

We all have cravings (desires, longings). Desires are a gift, but desires can also become a snare when we don't remember to ground them in Love's wisdom and timing. His wisdom is always one request away.

4. Doxology + Day

Simply put, we all express praise (approval, admiration). Doxology is upward praise. Scripture says that God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). So when we praise our benevolent God, He opens us up to the awareness of His Presence.

(To interact with the page click the image. Dimensions of the notebook - 5.5" x 8.5" inches.)