DECEMBER 2018
MAKE NO PLANS WITHOUT THE LORD
Posted by: District Elder Edgar Damonze

Another great opportunity is on our doorstep as the New Year 2019 approaches. We know that success does not just happen and plans do not materialize on their own. Whether you painstakingly reduce your plans to paper or simply act, there is still an element of planning. Planning requires thinking and we all think about our life, our actions, our successes, and so much more. In many cases it also requires prayer.

As we approach the New Year, let us take some time to think. Think about the past year, our successes, and how much we can no longer influence 2018 because we are out of time. On the other hand, also think about the opportunities with a New Year ahead. Many have been very busy in 2018 but how much have we accomplished?

For this coming year, plan to accomplish rather than just doing so much. A colleague once told me “you can do anything if you stop trying to do everything”. In planning for 2019 consider including the following principles, among many others, in your thinking process for both natural and spiritual accomplishments:
  • Think about what you wish to or need to accomplish, the results you would like to see.
  • Think about the “Big Rocks” (ref. Stephen Covey) and then prioritize. 
  • Think about the factors that either helped or prevented you from accomplishing your goals in the past. Consciously plan to repeat or utilize the factors that helped and avoid or mitigate the factors that did not.
  • Think about the resources needed including time, finance, and support from others. Resource availability may mean that you either have to rethink the end result or the timing of the desired accomplishment. 
Another consideration in our planning for the New Year is: Do our goals include sharing what we have? Thinking also leads to Thanking. The more we think about it the more we realize that in the past we have accomplished many goals with the help of others. Gratitude prompts us to give back a portion of what we have received from God. In Acts 20: 35 we read the words of the Lord Jesus, “…It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Think about how much you have to give. We can all help the unfortunate, our neighbour. We can help change the lives of others who benefit from our prayers, loving support, mentorship and coaching and so much more. Whatever we do out of love in God’s work and for our neighbour, will be blessed and bring us joy. In Proverbs 10: 22 we read “The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.

I wish you inspiration and guidance from God as you plan for the coming year, and may the richness of God’s blessing accompany you throughout the New Year.

 

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