Wednesday, May 1, 2013

the STANDard:: May

i have often quoted the phrase "when you fail to plan, you plan to fail". i don't know who originally said it, though i'm pretty sure my kids will forever attribute it to me since they've been subjected to my saying it so often. truth is... i'm not a great planner. i love talking about planning. i love thinking about and writing out plans. the execution of said plans is not my forte. i want to do better at that part and i guess acknowledging my fumbling and frustration with it is the first step toward growth.

it's at the forefront of my mind because of the current situation i find myself in. planning the future. what's next? musically. financially. spiritually. i think part of my failure in executing a plan is a tendency to over think. i drive myself crazy with what if's and yeah but's. i know i need to relax and be still and wait and listen. and then move forward. perhaps its fear of the future that keeps me shackled to the planning stage. that keeps me from gaining ground and creating momentum.

oddly, i've read alot recently about planning. from several verses in Proverbs to passages in books and devotionals. i'm pretty sure God is moving on my heart to help me grow in this area. with that in mind i've chosen Proverbs 16:3 and 9 in the Amplified version to memorize and mediate on for the month of May.

16:3 Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed

16:9 A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure

during the coming weeks i want to think through motives. the 'why' in my plans. i want to think through potential outcomes. the possibility of changes. i love verse 3 and how the Amplified version expounds on the idea of my thoughts becoming agreeable to HIS will. when i commit my plans to The Lord, he weighs the motives, he helps me have the ideas to begin with. and when they are born out of my flesh rather than his Spirit, i want to be so closely connected to his heart that i'm easily able to re calculate and adjust my plans accordingly.

i'm in full blown 'overwhelmed-mode' at the moment, as i consider a couple of plans i'm right-smack-dab in the middle of figuring out how to facilitate. and i need this.

i pray that God will help you make sense of your own plans too. as we seek to live our lives in light of his coming, with eternal perspective, our plans become clear, i think. so together lets do just that.

love you guys...


3 comments:

Equestre Magazine, Creative Director said...

so awesome, thank you

Babs Coppedge said...

Crystal, I know that your encouragement is for us to post the verse or passage that God has laid on our hearts so that we can participate with you in this monthly STANDard endeavor. But ... as I read your first verse, I instantly resonated with it and knew that God was prompting me to 'borrow' from you, which is not really borrowing but appropriating His Word, right? ;)

While I have not held strong each month coming out with a memorized verse stored in my heart, I am determined to move forward with the year that is remaining (and doesn't it seem like it's flying by already?) and choose to keep His Word in my line of sight throughout each day.

There is much happening in my world right now that requires planning and preparation as we prepare to move ... without an exact destination as of yet. But these verses, especially verse 3, settled my heart in knowing that with all the ways God has made clear the decision to move (in the first place), He will also align our thoughts with His will in where we shall settle just 6 short weeks from now. While it's not some big, out-of-state move, it still is relocating where we call 'home', so we're all anxiously awaiting our new home that has yet to be revealed.

Thank you for staying the course in your consistent push for God's Word to be the foundation of all that we do, are and become. You utilize the audience and reach God has given you--well and wisely.

Always appreciative of the heart you share with us...

por amor a tu alma said...

Crystal hello. Cuando harás un nuevo álbum en español?