“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” Proverbs 19:21 ESV

Having a solid outline is valuable when writing. I know this to be true after pumping out one paper a week for 3 years.

But your outline changes as you write the paper.

You discover what information isn’t as valuable to your thesis as you originally thought.

The same is true of our lives.

When I was in college, I had an outline for my life. My outline contained goals I knew I could achieve if I worked hard enough and diligently enough:

• Master’s Degree
  • In music education
• Full-time job
  • Music teacher in a public school
• Nice car
  • Reliable with a powerful engine (for nice slow driving, of course)
• Own my home
  • Something to decorate!
• A busy private music lesson schedule
  • Financial security

Reasonable goals, right?

All things I could control.

And I achieved them by age 24.

I’m not sharing this to toot my own horn, but rather to share what came next . . . years of nothing. No goals, nothing else in my outline for life.

I’d only focused on things I wanted to have, not the person I wanted to be.

And I didn’t leave much room for God to move.

But with age comes experience, and my outline for life changed. . .

. . . because God grew my heart.

Here are the headings in my revised outline for life:

• Child of God
  • John 1:12
• Live a life pleasing to Him
  • Colossians 1:10
• Person of prayer
  • 2 Chronicles 7:14
• Person of integrity
  • Proverbs 11:3
• Person of love
  • 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

And if I’m not careful, these headings can also turn into things I try to control.

But why not let God be God and see what happens? (Ephesians 20-21 ESV)

What goals are in your outline for your life? Do you leave room in your outline for God to move?

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” Proverbs 19:21 ESV

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