Money Life: Understanding God's View of MoneySample

The Plan - Part 2

One myth about planning is that it makes for a boring existence. The opposite is actually true! Rather than becoming a restriction of freedom and an impediment to joy, when properly done, planning allows for greater freedom, reduced stress and more joy. Whether we’re talking about finances or life in general, planning allows us to invest a bit of time and energy now so that we’ll be in a stronger position to serve others later.

When Nehemiah travelled home to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, he faced challenges from its residents and from foreign enemies outside of the city. He planned for the worst: “From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail … Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built” (Nehemiah 4:16-18).

Faced with tremendous challenges, Nehemiah devised a creative solution. If he had left his men to focus on construction alone, they would have been easy targets for their enemies, especially with no wall in place. However, if he had raised an army to fight, the wall would never have gotten built. So he did something strange; he made every builder a soldier and every soldier a builder. Through planning, Nehemiah was able to get more done with less and avoid catastrophe.

Planning allows you the time to consider what would seem, under normal life conditions, to be out of place.

When it comes to our finances, we may have to do the same. So think about your unique challenges, and consider what it might take to meet those challenges head on. 

Think through the pros and cons, consider your personal strengths and weaknesses and pray through your options. You may be surprised at what you come up with! Don’t plan to fail by failing to plan.