What Do I Do When My Plans Always Fail?
It's often frustrating when you make plans of all shapes and sizes and give your efforts to make them work only to have them fail. And when this happens all the time, the frustration turns into discouragement – and later on you find yourself losing the drive to do something meaningful in life.
Have you ever been frustrated by seeing many, if not all, of your plans crash to the ground? If you have, let me just encourage you: There's something we can learn from it.
Seeing why our plans fail
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There are several reasons why our plans fail. Sometimes the reason is actually pretty obvious. Here are some of them.
Lack of Counsel
One reason why our plans fail is simply because we didn't get enough counsel for it. Consider what Proverbs 15:22 tells us,
"Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established."
We didn't hear from people knowledgeable about the matter. This is one reason why many endeavors, such as businesses and other things, fail. We need to listen to others who know what to do, not just our own ideas and desires.
Failing to meet requirements
Another reason why our plans fail is because we really are unable to make them happen. Yes we sought counsel, listened to all the wisest people we could find, but if we are still unable to make our plans succeed using our skills, resources, and whatever is in our disposal, we won't make it work. Consider what the Lord Jesus said according to Luke 14:28-30,
"For who among you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost to see whether he has resources to complete it? Otherwise, perhaps, after he has laid the foundation and is not able to complete it, all who see it will begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to complete it.'"
These two reasons are pretty obvious and many of us can easily work on them. We can wise up and seek counsel, then prepare the necessary requirements before embarking on any endeavor we put our minds to. Still, there's one more reason why we fail even after making all sorts of preparation, and it's the most important thing to understand
God's purposes
The most important reason we should be looking out for with regards to failed plans is given to us in Proverbs 16:9.
"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."
Friends, we could do all the planning that we want and seek all the counsel that we need but unless we seek God and plan things out according to His will we have no guarantee of success. It all boils down to what God purposes for us.
Still frustrated that your plans keep failing? Drop all of it and seek the Lord. He has better plans for us, way better than what we plan for ourselves. (see Jeremiah 29:11) Always remember Psalm 37:3-5, which says:
"Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass."
