I have never forgotten this advice from a college chapel message by Dr. Dale Atkins: “Write your plans in pencil and give God the eraser.”
In college, I worried about the future. Where would I live after college? What would I do? What big plans did God want me to make? Now, I live in the day-to-day decisions. Should I put money in my vacation fund, writing fund, or emergency fund? What food should I make this week that will stretch for easy leftovers? Sometimes the multitude of plans to make are paralyzing.
At such moments, though, I often remember Dr. Atkins’s advice: Take initiative. Dream and plan. Then surrender those plans to God. Be flexible. Wise King Solomon says, “A man’s heart deviseth his way; but the LORD directeth his steps” (Proverbs 16:9 {KJV}). Life is always happening and ever changing. We are constantly adapting and adjusting plans to make life and ministry work.
The Need for a Command Center
Our homes are command centers from which our ministries operate. When we serve the Lord, He dispatches us to various places throughout the week: to our work, our church, our school, Bible studies, gatherings with family and friends, and stores. In every place we go, we are ambassadors for the Lord. We give out. We take in. We need a place to process, strategize, and regroup so we can continue to carry out our orders.
On one occasion, Jesus’s disciples were sent to travel and preach in various cities. When the disciples returned, they eagerly told Jesus all about it—a type of debriefing. Mark describes how Jesus handled this:
And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. –Mark 6:31 (KJV)
Jesus recognized that the apostles needed to rest, process what had happened, and regroup. In His wisdom, He arranged for them to go to a quiet place away from the crowds.
Today, we can withdraw to various places to have a quiet time for reflection. We can go to a coffee shop, take a walk, or sit by a lake. But most of our reflection and planning happen in the home. It may be in the wee hours of the morning with a cup of tea, hours past our bedtime as we lie awake thinking, or while we bustle about doing dishes and chores.
My best reflection time happens on Saturday or Sunday mornings. I sip my cup of Darjeeling tea as I sit and think. I may rest in my office chair with my feet propped against the windowsill as I watch snow fall lazily outside my window. Later, I may sit at my desk and look over my schedule for the week or wrestle with my budget. In those quiet morning hours, I sometimes journal, writing out my thoughts to my Heavenly Father and asking for His guidance. These quiet moments are essential to operating efficiently in God’s service.
Designing Your Command Center
Where do you do your thinking and planning? Consider these things when designing your command center:
- Set up a relaxing place for leisurely processing. Sometimes I drag my office chair around the front of my writing desk so I can stare out my window. But if you can set up a space outside, even better. Nature is a wonderful place to decompress. Invest in a porch swing, a rocking chair, or a simple lawn chair. These days, they come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. Have a table to set that coffee cup on. But don’t break your budget! My first table was an overturned planter left by the previous tenant.
- Make a specific place for serious planning. As comfy as the couch or the bed is, it is probably not the best place for purposefully planning finances or time management. A desk or kitchen table may be the best place to set up and spread out needed materials.
- Arrange specific tools for your use. Do you use a computer to budget? Do you prefer to handwrite your to-do list in a journal or on a notepad? If so, make sure you have your computer, charge cord, journal, and writing utensils in a convenient place. Do you need a cup of coffee or tea on hand? Make sure you have your favorite coaster ready.
- Ensure appropriate lighting. Some people work best with the lights turned down low to eliminate stimulus. Others need plenty of light to feel optimistic. Think about your lighting needs and arrange your space accordingly. Usually, natural light facilitates a more optimistic planning session. Try to set up space near a window. You can always open or close your curtains as needed.
- Regulate sound and volume. Do you need absolute silence to think? You may not want your planning space to be in the middle of your household’s hustle and bustle. Or, you may want to invest in noise-canceling headphones. Noise-canceling headphones usually do not eliminate all noise. But playing rain sounds or a thunderstorm over them closes me off to the outside world. Maybe you are someone who needs sound to think. Playing your music through your favorite music app on your computer, phone, or Smart TV may stimulate your planning session. Make a planning playlist. Implement a way to think effectively using whatever sound or lack of sound you need.
Valuing Your Command Center
Efficiency in the Lord’s work requires planning. Consider God’s description of the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31. Several times, we see that the virtuous woman thinks and plans before carrying something out:
She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. . . . She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. . . . She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. . . . She looketh well to the ways of her household. –Proverbs 31:16, 18, 21, 27 (KJV, emphasis mine)
The virtuous woman has forethought and vision. She evaluates property, purchases it, and plants a vineyard. She makes judgments regarding her own work and pursues excellence. Since she plans ahead for winter, she does not need to fear the turning of the seasons. She diligently takes care of all the details required to maintain her household. Where does she do her thinking and planning? God does not tell us. That space looks different for each virtuous woman who walks in the fear of the Lord. Plan a place to plan. Have fun designing your command center. Then go out and fulfill your God-given visions and missions.
Don’t forget your pencil.
Comment below to share about your planning space and your favorite planning items.
For more biblical insights and practical tips about homemaking, check out my book Opening the Hope Chest: A Single Girl’s Guide to Homemaking.
Great tips! I love calling it the ‘Command Center.’