In All Our Planning, Plan to Keep Learning!

Listen to advice and receive discipline, that you may become wise by the end of your life. There are many plans in a person's mind, but it is the counsel of the Lord which will stand . . . . If you stop listening to instruction my child, you will stray from the words of knowledge. (Proverbs 19:20-21, 27)

As teachers and mentors, we plan our day, our week, months, even an entire year. Though we do it with good intentions and much prayer, many times we miss deadlines, lose class and activity time, and we feel like we let so many people down . . .  especially our young people. Yet God reminded me this morning that we must always be learning ourselves! The biggest lesson I am still trying to master is that God's plan always supersedes my planning! 

If the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom and knowledge, that I must always remember that He is indeed my first and most wise administrator and the One to Whom I am most accountable. As I look back on my interactions with youth, I must admit the best lessons I have both learned and taught were the impromptu occurrences of everyday life; whether it be a tragedy, unexpected surprise, an off-the-wall question, or other unplanned event. 

So as we plan and project the coming year keep this in mind: In all of our planning, plan to keep learning . . .  from God!