It’s Time: 7 Time Management Strategies to Take Back Your Calendar, Reduce Overwhelm, and Flourish on Purpose a 7-Day Plan by Najah DrakesSample

Day 1: Which Planner Would Jesus Buy?

While we will never know whether Jesus was a Franklin Covey or Erin Condren planner kind of guy, we do know that Jesus is a master planner. In Creation, we witness a masterful planner who took a big, wide, blank, void canvas and intricately and proactively planned out a world of systems, structures, and processes for man to not just operate in but to flourish within. Before God ever hung a star in the sky or crafted a bird of any kind, He had a vision– A vision in which man and woman would have everything they needed to accomplish His will – nothing lacking.

God planned for us to flourish within time, not simply manage it.

Yet, many of us start daily planning without aligning our to-do lists with God’s long-term vision for our lives.

Like God, we must start with the end in mind, then fill in the lines of our planners and agendas.

When Habakkuk heard from God to write the vision, he was frustrated by a recent military loss. He was questioning the fairness of his current situation. I think it would be safe to assume Habakkuk expected to be farther along in his success and was seeking God for answers. God’s response to Habakkuk was to think beyond the immediate and act based on the future God intended for him and his people. God told Him to expect future challenges but to be patient and trust God would bring His ultimate vision to pass.

In the interim, He admonished Habakkuk to write simple, actionable steps towards its fulfillment.

Our desire to see immediate results often blurs God’s will for our daily actions to fall within a bigger, longer-term God-sized plan. God has a vision expressly designed just for us, and our to-do list should reflect it.

Prayer:

Lord, remind me that you have an intricately and purposefully designed vision for my life. Help me align the things on my to-do list with Your will for my life. Amen.

Journal Prompt(s):

What do you believe is God’s vision, not just for your life, but for this season, year, month, and day?

What do you need to prioritize to accomplish the vision?