One Word: LifePlan

“What’s next Caroline? What do you want to do now that you are graduated?”

Diploma held close to her chin and her grin with her father taking pictures to freeze this moment in time, the smile on Caroline’s face masked the terror in her heart. Aunt Mendy’s anxious grin indicated she wanted to pry deeper than was comfortable into Caroline’s life.

Caroline sighed while flashing Aunt Mendy raised eyebrows and simply stated, “I’m not really sure.”

Aunt Mendy gasped, “What do you mean you aren’t sure?! You are a college graduate! Surely you must know what you want to do and where you want to do it!”

Before Caroline could form another polite word, Aunt Carol stepped in to defend her favorite niece.

“Oh! Stop that Mendy! Caroline just graduated! She’s too young to plan out her whole life! The sky’s the limit! She can do whatever she wants! So hold your horses! Let’s enjoy this time together as a family!”

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Sound familiar? Been there, done that? Stuck between a rock and a hard place where you don’t really know what to do next? I might have a solution for you.

I’m a planner. I like events organized in my calendar and on my to-do list. I live by schedules. I have lists for my lists. That’s the kind of gal I am.

When I started working at Tarrant Baptist Association and learned of LifePlan I immediately thought to myself, “Hey! That’s something I need to do!” This was right up my alley.

But you say, “You can’t plan your life. Only God can.”

Yeah, I’ve heard that one before. Taking the gifts and talents God has blessed me with and attempting to see how I can use them in my life isn’t a bad thing. God can exchange his plan for mine anytime.

I was 24 years old and sitting anxiously in my seat waiting to begin the LifePlan process. I dug through my past to help me see how God had brought me to this place today.

Looking at the events that shaped me into the person I am and seeing how God has molded me perfectly into who he planned for me to be was exciting. Defining my strengths and what drives me helped bring into focus how to best use the gifts God has given me.

My favorite part? I’m glad you asked! I actually have two favorite parts.

My first favorite part was writing my personal mission statement. I take this mission statement everywhere I go and strive to live it out according to God’s will. “I inspire others to find their worth in Christ.” How do I do that? Awesome question. Let’s talk about that sometime soon.

My second favorite part was setting a timetable for what I wanted to accomplish in my life. My dreams, goals, and hopes were all lined up nicely and neatly on a piece of paper with a time stamp. Like I said before, I’m a list person. I’m a schedule person. This was perfect for me. It took what I wanted to accomplish and gave me a due date. It gave me goals. It gave me motivation and drive to do what the Lord desired from me.

It sparked a fire in my soul.

Got questions? Let me answer them! Skeptical? I’d love to try and resolve that! Have comments? Bring ’em on! Already experienced the LifePlan process? I’d love to hear what God did in your life!