Throwing Away the Plan

#151

Friend,

Today won’t go as you expect.

It reminds me of a lesson that my son taught me that he learned from Captain Cold (from the TV show The Flash).

There are only four rules you need to remember:
1. Make the plan.
2. Execute the plan.
3. Expect the plan to go off the rails.
4. Throw away the plan.

When my son quoted that to me, I kept being struck by the wisdom of that statement.

First, make a plan for your day. Be proactive. Schedule your most important meetings, tasks, your own health needs.

Second, execute the plan. Do what you intended. Live by your own priorities.

Third, expect the plan to go off the rails. Life does not bend to your will. Life happens. Today won’t go as you desire, so build margin and be flexible. It’s unrealistic to expect that everything will go as you desire.

Fourth, throw away the plan. You may not need to do this every day, but some days the script needs to be thrown out the window.

But that’s not all. In this episode, The Flash and Captain Cold are working together, and they are looking for something. When The Flash asks him, “What else might be down there?” Then Captain Cold responds with those four rules, but he finishes with this:

Follow my lead and you'll be fine.

And that’s the good news for those of us who follow Jesus. God didn’t come to have master planners, but to have genuine followers.

Today won’t go as you expected, but Jesus will lead you better than you can imagine.

Love,

Aaron