Well, that kind of day seems to happen a lot around here. We plan for 100 youth to come to an event and 5 show up. Or we plan for 15 and 80 show up. The gym catches on fire and we become nomads looking for a space to hold our programs. You have the best intentions of feeding 20 girls a healthy dinner and you end up with 6 Little Ceasars pizzas. You tell yourself you'll update your blog every other Friday and then you go a month without updating it because you get sick and life get crazy... Let's be honest, I almost left the house for work without shoes the other day...adulting is hard.
In those moments where plans start to go off track, we've been teaching our middle and high school girls that you can have one of two perspectives. You can label it an ordeal, stress about the details, and conclude that you failed. Or you can call it an adventure, roll with the punches, cut your losses and look for a win another way. This lesson has been one that pops up over and over and over again for us here. Not just with youth programs, but everywhere.
There is value in a good plan. Having appropriate expectations, knowing what needs to happen, and making sure you have the right space and resources to make everything come together is really important. Having a backup plan or two is also important. You just never know sometimes what could derail even the most perfectly thought out plans.
BUT, being able to scrap those plans and move on when the situation just isn't allowing it is something to be admired in my book. Not everyone is gifted in adaptability and flying off the seat of your pants in a stressful situation. I'd argue that it takes a strong person to scrap those plans they've spent hours, days, or weeks on to make the most of what the moment has to offer.
Maybe because I've spent the past year planning for After School, Summer Camp, and a wedding my perspective on planning has changed...but there has been so many time recently when the Lord has reminded me that I am small with a limited view of the world and He is big and can see everything. His plans really are always better than mine.
Story Time
Just last night at tutoring group we had given the girls a 5-minute warning to clean up dinner and head to the couches for Share Time. We said when this song is over I need you to have thrown away your trash and be at the couches ready to listen. I pressed play on Pandora and it was probably the slowest song on Ed Shereen radio...not the upbeat "hurry up and throw your stuff away and get over here" song that I was hoping for. But then, something beautiful happened that none of us could have planned. The volunteers started teaching the girls some ballroom dancing moves. I looked around the room and saw plates still on tables, cups all over the room, and volunteers and girls smiling, dancing, and singing along to the song. Whoever knew how to dance got the opportunity to teach a friend and the group came together in a way that all I could do was stand back and admire.
So it took an extra 5 minutes to clean up and we were probably already behind on our schedule. But those girls and volunteers have a sweet memory that's worth much more than anything I could plan for.
That's just a small example. But I encourage you to remember (and to remind me) that sometimes there are more important things than trying to achieve perfection. We should work hard, we should plan well, and we should stay open to the what the Lord might telling we need in the moment. Maybe we would all benefit from more dance breaks.
On that note, the Kid President has been particularly encouraging to me lately. It doesn't really have to do with anything in this post, but it is encouraging and there is dancing. Enjoy!
