4. Find Balance Between Planning And Letting Go

Some wise words I've held on to.

As you may or may not know, I work in youth ministry and have for over 17 years. About 12 years ago now (or more?), I came to my Youth Board meeting (which is a group of parents that helps support the youth ministry of the church) in May with the entire next program year’s calendar mapped out. I had all the dates for service projects, retreats, classes and other programs, fellowship nights and more all scheduled. I felt so proud of myself for being on top of it and prepared. And after we went through everything and reviewed it all, one of our board members said something I'll never forget. He said, “This is really great to have this all planned out. But one thing I would invite us to remember is to leave room for Spirit. If we’re too planned, we might miss out on new ideas or opportunities that God may be calling us to. So, let’s hold that balance.”

Wow.

He was right. While it is good to have things planned and scheduled, it’s also really important to leave room for Spirit. Or if that word doesn’t resonate, it’s good to leave room for what may come. Being planned and scheduled gives us a sense of control and power. If it’s all planned and prepared, I’ll be ready for anything. Or maybe we even nothing will go wrong, because we have it under control. And we all know, life just isn’t like that. His statement was honestly such a freeing statement. So much of our culture is focused on “the plan” and doing it “right”. It was really nice to be called back to the why of what we were doing. We were planning these events and opportunities for young people to experience Holy, Divine, Spirit, God in our connections, service, learning and worship and we had to hold that at the center.

Often times now when I plan an event or a retreat, I remind myself and my volunteer leaders that at a certain point we have to let go. We can do the planning and then we have to just let it be what it’s going to be. In other words… let Spirit show up and do her thing! And also, let the youth show up and bring what they will bring. It’s really a beautiful process.

Balance is hard. And we won’t always remember to do this. Sometimes I find myself being too loose with things and then we miss out on things. Other times I watch myself getting too stuck on a plan and work really hard to make something work that maybe needs to be let go of. But, I notice that I often still recall this moment and it calls me back. It helps me hold that balance of planning and also getting out of the way and letting things be.

So, I pass those words of wisdom on to you. It’s good to be scheduled and have a plan, but also leave room for what may come!

Reflection Questions:

• Where are you on the spectrum of planned and unplanned?

• Have there been times in your life where you stuck to closely to a plan? What might have happened if you had let it go?

• Have there been times in your life where you were too loose and should have made more of a plan?

• How can you remind yourself of why you’re doing something to allow for breath and Spirit to move through what you’re doing?

Songs:

Turn Turn Turn cover by Walk Off The Earth - Based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, this song emphasizes the cyclical and unpredictable nature of life. It’s the reminder to embrace change. I thought this song might remind us that we can plan, and then sometimes life just happens. But there are seasons and things keep going.

hmmmm…. anyone else have songs they want to share for this theme? I’m a bit stumped! Comment below!