Do you like to think ahead and plan your diary with meticulous detail or do you prefer spontaneously responding to the most pressing needs and deadlines? We are all different and while some of us may excel in planning, others live more ‘on the fly.’ I am not a great planner and sometimes look upon those who are with envy as it seems the best way to be productive, yet I struggle to make it my own way.
Pondering this made me think about Jesus. Was he a planner or an ‘on the fly’ person? The Gospels give many tantalising glimpses into what fuelled and empowered Jesus. One verse I find especially challenging is Matthew 4:1 ‘Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil.’ I am certain that Jesus hadn’t put in his diary (if he used one) that he was planning to spend 40 days in conflict with the devil! Neither was he responding to a sudden need or invitation. It was the Holy Spirit who led him there. The wilderness was to be a vital part of Jesus’ transition to being the Son of God, Holy Messiah.
Jesus’ heart was open to the Holy Spirit’s guidance and that was the key to how he lived. He was neither primarily a planner nor someone who always went with the flow. Rather he lived to hear and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit and have his eyes open to see what his Father was doing.
Nevertheless, Jesus definitely did plan. He said to his friends one day, ‘Let’s go to the nearby villages so I can preach there also, that is why I have come.’ (Mark 1: 38) Jesus knew his mission to bring release, forgiveness, beauty instead of ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. In everything he did and said, he was fulfilling that core purpose. He lived in the perfect balance of knowing how to set goals and make plans yet being completely free to take a diversion.
I am finding it amazingly freeing that rather than knocking myself for not being a good planner, God has called me to have a different focus, to listen daily to my Wonderful Counsellor the Holy Spirit. Like with Jesus, the Spirit will grow me in to my core mission; sometimes working out the details of every next step, sometimes having no set plan but responding spontaneously to life’s calls. With the Holy Spirit every day can be an adventure. here is no right or wrong way but there is the joy of knowing He is walking with me and will use every situation and opportunity to help me grow in love and beauty, living my life to the full of all He’s called me to be.
