I like answers.
I like knowing what we're doing, why we're doing it, who's doing it, when it's going to happen, and preferably how much it's going to cost.
I especially like a plan.
Actually, I usually have several.
So one of the harder lessons I've had to learn is this:
You don't have to have everything figured out before you take the next step.
That's uncomfortable for those of us who like to know where we're going.
We want the map.
God often gives us the next turn.
And sometimes...
not even that until we get to the intersection.
We Want the Whole Plan
Think about how often we want certainty before we're willing to move.
We want to know:
Will this work?
Will I have enough money?
Is this the right decision?
Will the right person come along?
What happens after that?
And what happens if something goes wrong?
Those are reasonable questions.
I'm a big believer in doing your homework.
Look at the numbers.
Ask questions.
Get advice.
Pray about it.
But eventually you reach a point where you've gathered all the information that's available today.
And there are still things you don't know.
That's life.
Wisdom doesn't mean knowing everything. Sometimes wisdom means knowing enough to take the next right step.
Some of My Best Plans Have Changed
If you had shown me 29 years ago exactly what Tomorrow's Promise would look like today, I don't know that I would have believed you.
Actually, I probably would have started making notes about what I wanted to change.
There have been so many turns I didn't anticipate.
Things I thought would happen that didn't.
Things I never expected that did.
Programs that grew.
Programs that ended.
People who came into my life for a season.
People who stayed.
Doors that closed.
Buildings I wasn't planning to buy.
We've already discussed that one.
Looking backward, the path can look almost orderly.
Living it wasn't.
That's important to remember when we're comparing the middle of our story with somebody else's finished chapter.
Clarity Often Comes After the Step
Sometimes we tell ourselves:
"As soon as I know exactly what I'm supposed to do, I'll move."
But I've found that clarity often comes after we move.
You take one reasonable step.
That gives you new information.
Then you make another decision.
That opens another possibility.
Or sometimes it shows you that you're heading in the wrong direction.
That's useful information too.
We do this with children all the time.
A child doesn't learn to walk by studying walking until she completely understands it.
She stands.
She wobbles.
She falls.
She gets back up.
She tries again.
Eventually, she's running through the classroom and we're asking her to please use walking feet.
Learning usually requires movement.
So does life.
Changing the Plan Doesn't Mean You Failed
I think sometimes we stay with a plan too long because we've confused changing direction with failure.
We announced the plan.
We invested time in it.
Maybe we spent money.
Maybe other people know about it.
Now we've learned something new.
But instead of adjusting, we think:
"I said I was going to do this, so I have to keep going."
No, you don't.
If the information changes, you are allowed to change the plan.
If circumstances change, you can adjust.
If you discover something isn't working, learn from it.
If the timing isn't right, wait.
That's not inconsistency.
That's wisdom.
You can remain committed to the purpose without being married to the original plan.
I've had to remind myself of that more than once.
Faith Doesn't Require Certainty
This may be where faith becomes hardest.
We'd like God to say:
"Kaye, here is exactly what I'm doing. Here is the timeline. Here are the people I'm going to send. Here is how much everything will cost. And here is how it all turns out."
I would appreciate that.
Possibly in spreadsheet form.
But that hasn't been my experience.
Instead, there have been many times when I've had to pray, gather the information I could, make the best decision I knew how to make...
and move.
Proverbs 3 tells us to trust in the Lord rather than leaning entirely on our own understanding.
That doesn't tell us not to think.
It reminds us that our understanding has limits.
Faith isn't knowing how everything turns out.
If we already knew, we wouldn't need much faith.
You Can Correct as You Go
There's another reason we don't need the entire plan before beginning.
Most decisions aren't the last decision.
We can adjust.
We can learn.
We can correct.
We can ask for help.
We can stop.
We can start again.
We can say:
"Well, that didn't work."
I've said that before.
More than once.
And somehow life continued.
One wrong turn doesn't mean the whole trip is ruined.
Sometimes it just means you turn around.
The danger isn't always making the wrong decision.
Sometimes the bigger danger is becoming so afraid of making the wrong decision that we make no decision at all.
Your Challenge for the Week
Think about something you've been trying to completely figure out before you move forward.
Then ask yourself:
What do I actually know today?
What don't I know—and can I reasonably find out?
What is the next responsible step?
Not the next ten steps.
Just the next one.
Then take it.
Pay attention to what happens.
Learn from it.
And decide what comes next.
Leave a Little Room in the Plan
Robin Sharma talks in The Everyday Hero Manifesto about growth requiring courage, action, and the willingness to move beyond what is comfortable.
I think part of that courage is accepting that we will never have perfect information.
Plans are important.
Preparation is important.
Systems are important.
I've spent the last few weeks talking about all three.
But leave a little room in your plan.
Room for new information.
Room for another person to have a better idea.
Room to discover you were wrong.
Room for an opportunity you didn't anticipate.
And most importantly...
room for God to work differently than you expected.
I've discovered He doesn't always follow the plans I carefully make for Him.
Imagine that.
A Lesson I'm Still Learning
There are several things in my life right now that I cannot completely see.
I know the direction.
I know what I believe I'm supposed to be working toward.
But I don't know every step between here and there.
Years ago, that uncertainty might have made me push harder to figure everything out.
Now I'm trying to get a little more comfortable saying:
"I don't know yet."
Not:
"I don't care."
Not:
"I'm giving up."
Just:
“I don't know yet.”
There's freedom in those words.
I can prepare without forcing.
I can work without controlling every outcome.
I can change direction when I learn something new.
And I can trust that God sees considerably farther down the road than I do.
I'm still going to make plans.
Let's not get carried away.
But I'm learning to write some of them in pencil.
Final Thought
Maybe you don't know how something in your life is going to work out.
Neither do I.
You don't need all the answers today.
Do your homework.
Pray.
Ask wise people.
Look at the facts.
Make the best decision you can.
Then take the next right step.
If you learn something new, adjust.
If the door closes, pay attention.
If another one opens, investigate it.
And if you discover you were wrong...
learn something.
You don't need to see the entire staircase to take the next step.
You don't have to know the ending to keep writing the story.
And you don't have to have everything figured out to move forward faithfully.
Sometimes all you need to know is what you're supposed to do next.
And sometimes...
that's all God is going to show you.
For now.
References
- Sharma, Robin. The Everyday Hero Manifesto. HarperCollins, 2021.
- Proverbs 3:5–6.
- Proverbs 16:9.
- Psalm 119:105.
- James 1:5.
- 2 Corinthians 5:7.
Remember... life isn't changed by one big decision. It's changed by the little decisions we make every day. Today's small choices become tomorrow's legacy. So choose wisely, love deeply, keep learning, and keep growing. Until next Monday, have a wonderful week... and keep building your legacy, one small choice at a time.