BOASTING ABOUT TOMORROW

"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." - Proverbs 27:1


I am a planner. Each day I have a to do list that is detailed and prioritized. I keep two calendars. One is my appointments, the other my work flow planner (when I take on an assignment or project, I calculate how many hours or days and then assign that work to specific day(s) so that I can better assure its completion in a timely manner.) Sermon-wise I am generally working on a series of sermons as far as th3-5 months ahead. I pretty much could tell you not only what I intend to do today but what I need to be doing each day for the rest of the week.

Last week someone scheduled me into a meeting next week for which my presence seemed essential. Unfortunately, they did not ask me if I was available (and I was not, I'll be attending a training meeting in Houston TX that particular evening). I decided to send them my evening schedule for the next two weeks so they could take another run at scheduling their meeting. I am sure they were amazed that I had planned that far advance. They may not have been aware that I have many evening meetings, although I would prefer to plan it otherwise.

One of the realities I have had to learn, however, is that I really don't know what is going to come up each day. And I don't know what God is going to send my way each day. I have had to learn to handle my schedule loosely so I can be available for God's opportunities and/or "holy interruptions."

That doesn't mean that I drop everything for someone else's emergency. Their lack of planning doesn't make it my emergency. And I try not to throw off a prayerfully constructed schedule just because someone else gets it into their head that a project has to be completed now (which is often a result of their lack of thinking about tomorrow when they plan).

But it does mean that I should never think that because I have my life organized and planned that I have it under control. And I should never let it be an excuse for forgetting that the best schedule is under God's control.