The Consequences of Planning

I might as well face it; I'm not the most organized person. Each semester, I usually buy a planner, just in case. I try to use planners and calendars to organize my time and prioritize my tasks, but inevitably that never lasts too long. I have yet to resign myself to life without planners and calendars, but I've also yet to implement them. Oh well.

But even though I am among the worst at using such organizational tools, I still find myself to be dependent on having things planned out. For example....

When Hannah and I started dating, there was one time where I had planned out a date. I was going to take her out to eat at La Fiesta (only the best Mexican restaurant in Knoxville by far, and a personal favorite of ours... our church... seems pretty much like everyone we know loves it). After dinner, I had probably planned on watching a movie with her, or driving out to Sequoia Hills, I don't remember.

But I do remember talking to her at lunchtime that day, and her coworkers had invited her to go to El Charro's for lunch. Well, let's just say I wasn't happy. I had planned a date for her and it had been ruined. It's pretty safe to say I was flipping out over it.

Afterwards, I learned something. It would have been much easier to just pick another place to eat (Wow, revelation!!!). But unfortunately, I find myself to be the type to get stuck in a rut. I have something planned, and a change to it ruins the day for me. I failed to see outside of the great tragedy that had befallen me that day. But it would have been so much easier (for myself and for Hannah) to just go with it. It would have been much simpler and less stressful to write down a couple of other restaurants and pick one at random.

But that's not all folks! I am an even "better" planner than that!

One of my close friends, Bob Marlow, has been a great mentor/friend to me for many years since high school and afterwards. Even after graduation, we'd have lunch on a regular basis, enjoy conversation, and keep track of one another.

Starting last year, I began to find it more difficult to make time to see him with all my classes at UT. I never forget my friend Bob, but I don't keep up with him as I'd like to. In fact, I'm always planning on calling him... always meaning to see how he's doing... but I never find myself progressing past planning to do something.

On a good note, I finally called him yesterday. I enjoyed one thing he said; it was something like this... "well, just stop planning and do it."

If I'd adopt a mentality like that, perhaps I'd get more things done. If I stopped thinking about getting flowers for Hannah, and just went and got them, she'd have flowers on her desk right now. If I stopped thinking about my lack of time to keep up with friends, and instead made some time right then and there to call them (or meet them for coffee for an hour), I'd probably keep up with my friends better.

Here's a fun one. If I stopped thinking about sharing my faith, and shared it, someone would hear the good news of Jesus Christ. Or if I stopped thinking about my prayer life or time in the Word, and just started spending some time with Jesus, I would find myself spiritually nourished and growing (on a side note, you just can't grow if you aren't getting the right nutrients, or at least you won't grow at a normal healthy rate).

So I'm not saying "planning" is a bad thing. Organization is a great thing! Just think about it... Unorganized events are hectic and stressful. But by the same token, I find it to have some down sides if left unchecked. I'm still learning to be more flexible. I'm learning to stop thinking about it and just doing it. Basically, I'm learning to "let go and let God," to lose some of my control and be OK with it.