Make a Plan and then DO IT!

Flat Tire Ministries Thought for the Week: Make a Plan and then DO IT!

In the journey of my life over the last five or six years I have come to the conclusion that my life is not about "me", but rather it is about how I can make a difference in the world that I live. It's easy to get caught up in our own little world and placing ourselves at the top of our list of people to take care of, yet I want more for those that I have the opportunity to come in contact with albeit this blog or whatever other avenue of contact that occurs during this life I have been given. My biggest fear is that "you" don't have a plan and that is unfortunate, not only for you, but also for the individuals or groups of people that would be impacted by your plan in life.

 William Borden, heir to the Borden Dairy fortune, is definitely one to look to when talking about making a plan and sticking to it. In the early 1900's Borden would be recognized as one of the wealthiest millionaires in the United States, yet his desires in life were to serve God and serve others. He made a plan to become a missionary at home and abroad, even though his friends and family questioned his decision. In response to their doubting questions William wrote two words in his Bible, "NO RESERVES". After graduating Yale William Borden was offered some very high paying jobs and in response to the temptation to accept them he wrote two more words in his Bible, "NO RETREATS". Borden's plans were to travel to China and work as a missionary spreading the gospel and serving others. En route to China William Borden contracted meningitis and died before reaching his destination and undertaking his plan. To many that would register as a failure and a waste of a potentially powerful man that could have impacted massive numbers of people. Yet in William Borden's Bible the ailing Borden wrote two last words before his death, "NO REGRETS". In my life I have a plan and it doesn't have to do with my retirement, or my dream vacation, or what I want to do in five or ten years. No my plans are about how I want to impact my world, how I want to make a difference in others lives, and how I want to help as many people as possible to reach their potential in life . To fulfill that plan the attitude of NO RESERVES, NO RETREATS, and NO REGRETS is critical to reaching this goal in my life. 

Do you have a plan? What are you willing to sacrifice to see your plan come to realization? To me William Borden's story doesn't end the exact way I would want it to end, yet there is a worse scenario. What would life be like to not have a plan and then die? How sad and unfortunate to go through life with nothing more on our minds or in our hearts than to just live and then die. Make your plan today if you don't have one, get one! Make it a plan that will change the lives of others. Create a plan that will make a difference to not only people you know, but also for those you don't even know and may never know. Make a difference in your world, your efforts will change the course of lives, you may never see the change, yet it is certain change will occur. Once you have a plan go out and DO IT! As stated earlier, this blog is part of my plan to reach out and help others. Your plan may be physical in nature, you may have a story that needs to be shared, a family member or friend that needs your help, or for right now your plan may be to share this blog message with someone else that you feel needs encouragement. Keep in mind the blog I will be posting each week may not resonate exactly with you or your needs at the moment, but share the message, share it with someone you know that it could benefit. We have been given much, let us go about the business of sharing what we receive! Don't delay in creating your plan, start today, no, start now. As you finish this first installment of Flat Tire Ministries with me, get out a piece of paper and brainstorm some ideas of what you want to do to change the world in which you live. In  Philippians 4:13 Paul provides this statement of encouragement for me and for you,

                  "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me." 
As the Nike ad campaign featuring athlete Michael Jordan challenged us "Just Do It!!"
Have a fantastic week and I can't wait to hear about your plans.