"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."—Mike Tyson
Actually, after his 1987 fight with Tyrell Biggs, the boxer said, "Everyone has plans until they get hit for the first time." You get the gist if you've ever had an aim, goal, or intention that was suddenly derailed. It feels like a gut punch, and it's very difficult to recover. Some do not rebound.
A PLAN is a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something. It is also an intention or decision about what one is going to do. A plan can be a detailed map, diagram, or spreadsheet. A plan can facilitate regular payments of contributions toward savings, a pension, or retirement. Whatever the case, plans are decided upon and arranged in advance. A 'plan of action' is an organized program of measures to be taken in order to achieve a goal. The phrase things "go according to plan" means that they happen as one has arranged or intended. Scottish poet Robert Burns' "To a Mouse" says "‘the best-laid plans o' mice an' men gang aft agley" (go wrong or awry). In the poem, a mouse was preparing for winter and Burns mistakenly plowed into its nest in the field. This colloquialism is used to suggest that even the most careful planning doesn't necessarily ensure success. We've all experienced that.
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. (Proverbs 19:21, ESV)
Filmmaker Woody Allen once said, "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him about your plans." Christians often quote Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." However at times we do not consider how or if our plans: agree with, intersect with, or conflict with God's purpose for our lives. Solomon writes, "A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life], But the LORD directs his steps and establishes them." (Proverbs 16:9, AMP) Even if we have goals, ideas, aspirations, and ambitions, they must be surrendered to the LORD. Solomon says,"Commit your works to the LORD [submit and trust them to Him], And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance]." (Proverbs 16:3, AMP)
Whether we use a digital Weekly Planner or a hand-written To Do List, the apostle James warns us about being presumptuous in our plans by leaving God out of them:
13Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” 14How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. 15What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” 16Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil. 17Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. (James 4:13-17, NLT)
2025 is on the horizon. This month, many of us are evaluating 2024. We're trying to finish out our goals and plan for next year. Let's remember to prayerfully submit our thoughts and plans to the LORD, seeking His will and purpose. | 
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