My son, Samuel, recently said to me that he felt like life was happening to him rather than him being able to decide what he wants to do. That hit hard for me. He’s right. So much of what we do in life is done to us. But yet, the Bible teaches that we indeed can and must plan. Yes, life happens to us. But God gives us dominion over the earth so we humans can use this brief life well.
I think the current generation has it tough. Housing is expensive. College is expensive. There is a lot of uncertainty. Yet we must lean on God’s word for inspiration and guidance. My wife, too, has been after me recently to plan better. I agree, in our mid-50s now we need to get our act together. A lot of our friends have retired or are close to it, and we, too, need to figure out what our game plan is.
My first thought is that we mustn’t try and go it alone. It is in the church, you see, where we connect with the Holy Spirit in other people. The body of Christ is where we flourish in Christ. It is in Jesus’ body, His people, and our family that we function as we should. We need to be mindful of planning well in the church community. Not as lone wolves. For God, our Good Shepherd, finds us and brings us back to the sheepfold.
The family of God isn’t a place, but we meet in places. The church is where we find the tree of life. It is where we are loved, protected, nourished, and disciplined. It is where godly character blossoms and dreams are given to us by God, and where we then see them fulfilled.
In my 54 years, I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I’ve been foolish and greedy and prideful. I’ve made millions and lost millions. I’ve wasted time in empty pursuits, stayed silent when I should have spoken out, talked when I should have been listening, and invested in empty things and foolish people.
But by God’s grace, I’ve learned to fear Him and trust in God alone. God asks us to pray and to plan. It’s His way. He asks us not to yield to so-called fate. Yes, life happens, but we keep fighting. We shall not have life mandated on us by the world. Instead, God’s way is for us to cooperate with God and daily look to Him for direction and guidance. As we constantly ask God to lead us, counterintuitively, we can live self-controlled lives, disciplined, and good and productive.
God’s goodness is immeasurable. As is His wisdom and power. As I see the age spots on my hands and the grey hair overtaking the brown, I know I need to recommit to planning well and dreaming well.
Just for kicks, do a quick timeline: 20-30-40-50-60-70-80-90-100. We are on that timeline. Some people have circled 67. They see that as where they will arrive and start collecting their Canadian pension and their US government checks. I’m not saying that’s wrong, but I do think that no matter where we are on that line that we must continue to plan and dream. Don't stop! And don't just plan, but plan to do good (Proverbs 14:22) and work hard. For there is no biblical example of loafing off. There is no profit without hard work and no large harvest without a strong ox (Proverbs 14:4).
Like you, I’d prefer the easy route. I, too, want to avoid danger. But without risk and without rolling up our sleeves, there is little reward. As we plan and dream, we must be ever mindful of doing things God’s way, rightly fearing our LORD. As we do, we will see what God wants us to do and we’ll see those He wants us to help and what godly priorities look like. We will be setting the agenda via God’s guidance. Yes, it may be inconvenient to travel halfway around the world to do a business deal. Or to move cities to lead a new company. Yes, people may mock you for starting a company in your sixties. Go anyway. Start it anyway. That is the Christian servant leadership way. Dream well. Plan well. Work hard. Repeat.
Yes, in business we’ll find many wise leaders (those who have learned from mistakes and correction) seeking and open to the advice of others. It was part of the oil and gas culture in Calgary. Clients were constantly taking us lawyers out to events (hockey games, meals, travel, golf, skiing, etc.) where we could spend time together batting around ideas and honing the plan. I just finished a bio of Elon Musk on a trip to El Salvador. He’s known as a lone wolf, but it’s actually shocking how much advice he gets from his legal counsel, his brother, his mom, and his long-time friends. We see that too in the forthright cultures, such as Netflix, where they do 360-degree executive reviews over dinners, instilling a culture of honesty and improvement. We can learn from that.
Resist the temptation to stay away from contrarians. Yes, it’s easier to be surrounded by sycophants, but straight advice, good, godly advice is a treasure. Be open to it. Create a culture where groupthink is frowned upon. Unity is essential in Christ. But don't confuse that with unanimity in business planning. Instead, honor and reward those who are constantly seeking knowledge, healthy debate, respectful disagreement, risk taking, and thoughtful plans distilled through deliberate and sober second thought.
God delights in big dreams, good plans, and hard work. A culture that embraces constructive criticism, discipline, openness to being wrong, humility, and fear of God is capable of anything. Nation building. Industry building. Anything. Yes, your timeline may not be just where you want it. You might be 30 and you want 20, or 80 and you want 70. Such is life.
Ask God to help you plan to do good today. I believe God revels in opportunities for us to trust Him, for He is the source of all that is good. He delights in turnarounds - with His insight we do restructurings. God needs no counsel. But we need His counsel, and His way is that we seek the good counsel of others. God sees right where we are. He sees our troubles. Let’s trust in God today and find new strength, new dreams, and let’s make new plans to succeed in Christ (Isaiah 40:31).
Lord Jesus, I pray you put good plans on our hearts - good purposes - and big dreams. Please give us the discipline to daily turn to You and Your way to achieve our plans and to plan well. Let us plan today to help others live well this life of faith in God. Let us not miss the whole point and purpose of this life. May we overflow with love as we follow You. As Your word says, may our love come from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith (1 Timothy 1:5). Amen
At Cerro Verde National Park, El Salvador.
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