A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life],
But the Lord directs his steps and establishes them. – Proverbs 16:9
If Bill Gates or another influential, highly connected billionaire asked you to give them your Flight Plan within the next 60 seconds so they could make it a reality, what would you give them?
Do you even have a Flight Plan: a written account of the details of a particular proposed flight?
From Wikipedia:
[Flight plans] generally include basic information such as departure and arrival points, estimated time en route, alternate airports in case of bad weather, type of flight (whether instrument flight rules [IFR] or visual flight rules [VFR]), the pilot’s information, number of people on board and information about the aircraft itself.
What about for your life?
“More money”…”big house”…”great health”…”happy marriage”…”impact in the world”…These are nice thoughts, but they’re not detailed plans.
(If I gave you $1, would that count as “more money” to you?)
Your Flight Plan should be so details specific that a wealthy connected stranger could read it, follow it, and deliver you exactly what you envisaged…simply by reading your Flight plan.
First obstacle: fear over “getting it wrong”.
Don’t worry about it. Planes are “off course” over 90% of the time despite their detailed flight plans. They need constant correction and adjustment, and so will you. The important thing is to submit a Flight Plan so you can be cleared for take off.
Second obstacle: “How’s it going to happen, given X, Y, Z constraints?”
Constraints are actually a thing of beauty.
But bigger than that, you need to remember that it’s not your job to figure out how; your role is to be clear in your mind on what you want, where you’re going…and then put that down on paper.
God’s job is to figure out how to get you there…and on that point, He says:
I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. – Jeremiah 29:11, MSG, [Emphasis added]
Don’t worry about how; focus on “what” you hope for…and then hand over your Flight Plan.