The Discipline Of PlanningSample

Who? What?

For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? - Lk 14:28

Nehemiah’s foresight helped him to identify what it took to rebuild the walls and gates of Jerusalem − the people to work with and the things that were needed. He did not say he would figure it out when he reached there. He asked who and what questions.

Nehemiah persuaded the King to give him letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates. He mobilised the Jews, nobles, priests and officials in Jerusalem to help build the wall together. Nehemiah did not exploit the people to accomplish his vision but he made his vision their vision and said, Come let us build the wall of Jerusalem (Neh 2:18) and brought in the spirit of collaboration and cooperation.

In just 52 days, Nehemiah accomplished the goal. They rebuilt the walls, six gates, four towers and his house too. His forethought and attention to detail was incredible. He broke the large task into smaller ones and identified people to do them.

In 1911, two groups of explorers set off to be the first in history to reach the South Pole. They planned differently, but both leaders had the same goal. Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen led one group and Robert Falcon Scott, a British naval officer, led the other group. Amundsen painstakingly planned the trip. He studied the methods, determined the best course of action for transporting the equipment, calculated the time needed to travel and to rest, decided on the gear, identified where to get supplies, thought about how to carry them, etc. Scott, on the other side, used transportation that did not work in that extreme climate. The clothes and gear were poorly designed so the team developed frostbite and became snow blind. And at last, they reached the South Pole a month after the previous team left and sadly they all died 150 miles away from the base while returning.

Effective planning will require you to identify the right people and the right resources.

Father, help me to identify the people you want me to work with, and identify the resources I would need. Give me Your foresight. Amen