“We need to get that app that Jack and Jill (not their real names — keeps me from being sued for libel) have on their phones,” I muttered, half to myself and half to Lynne. Every other week or so we sit down and coordinate our phone calendars so we don’t end up with some kind of schedule conflict. Lynne texted Jill, who said she didn’t know how it syncs; it just happens! I texted Jack, who said Jill’s stuff pops up on his phone, but his stuff doesn’t go to her phone.

This is what happens when old people try to discuss technology!

Having a planning calendar is a beneficial tool. Not too long ago, Lynne scheduled the mobile groomer for Cooper at a time she wasn’t going to be home, unaware that I also had a meeting planned at the same time. It ended up being a source of tension until I (wisely) moved my meeting time. That being said, I overheard someone say that he really wasted his money buying a 2020 planning calendar! I could relate.

I was working in Iraq and my return date was bumped by five days because Iranian-backed militias were trying to kidnap coalition force members at the international airport. I got home on March 16, and we were scheduled to leave for Hawaii on March 17. The morning of the 17th, they closed the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, and our airline was going to cancel half of its domestic flights by the end of the week, so Hawaii was a bust. Three weeks later, I had emergency gallbladder surgery (not on my calendar). Six weeks later, my boss called me from Iraq and wanted me to return earlier than they had intended. Unfortunately, my urologist had told me that I needed some tests done, which ended up being prostate cancer (also not on my calendar).

One of my favorite sayings is that “the only thing you can plan on is that nothing goes according to plan,” and 2020 was a perfect example of that. In my men’s group recently, we were discussing this very topic. Noted author and speaker Brandon Guindon (okay, he’s my pastor and friend) stated that, if he knew what the future looked like 10 years ago when he was preparing to move to Texas, he would never have come. That said, he was thankful for all that God did through the times of pain, fear, and turmoil.

God never gives us a five-year plan, but that doesn’t mean we avoid planning altogether. Whether it is at home, at work, or at church, planning is an essential part of our daily routine. What is necessary is that we are open to God interrupting our plans. “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9, ESV). In addition to that advice, we see this caution: “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring” (Proverbs 27:1).

Life is full of surprises, and the spiritual walk is no exception. Because God desires that we live relationally with others, there will always be interruptions. Accidents happen; people become ill; someone has a surgical procedure. As brothers and sisters in a relational environment, we step up when it is needed. We take the phone call, or we make the house call. More challenging are those occasions when the Holy Spirit whispers to us to reach out to someone, whether by text, call, or visit. Oftentimes we know why, but then there are other times when we have to respond in faith. It is through this process we learn to recognize the Master’s voice.

James gives us an eternal perspective on planning. “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’ — yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:13-15).

So, don’t pitch that planning calendar. But when you make your plans, do so with an awareness that God has the right to interrupt them. If we are living our lives to the glory of God and the advancement of His Kingdom, we will welcome those opportunities to be used for His plans and purposes.

What say ye, Man of Valor?