Step One - PRAY!

In just about any endeavor, something is going to go wrong.

Am I a pessimist? No, just seeing this world as it is. This isn't heaven, it never will be, and the chances are that whatever we are up to, something is bound to come up that we weren't expecting--be it a minor inconvenience or a major foul-up. And while we needn't dwell on what might go wrong, we shouldn't ignore the reality of our fallen world.

Some things are easy to plan for (or against, if you will). For me, it was working on my car. It took awhile to catch on, but I finally came to realize that even when doing something simple, there was most likely going to be a nut that wouldn't come loose, or the wrong-sized whatever, or a part that would drop into the black hole that forms beneath any engine that is being worked on. So I learned to make provisions for these things. I rarely had it all covered, but it did make things easier than assuming that Everything was going to work out as hoped.

What I'm getting at here is having a plan, whether it's about working on something, heading off to the store, or just getting out of bed in the morning. Not everything needs an elaborate plan, and indeed some things don't seem to need any forethought; "I've done this a thousand times before; what could go wrong?" The answer? Probably nothing; but possibly anything. So it really does help to make a to-do list, a project analysis, a plan of attack.

But here's the Main Thing; even the simplest plan should start out with "Step One-Pray About It." Discuss the situation with the One who knows-for-Sure what's going to happen. Not only will starting things out with prayer give us our best shot at keeping everything in perspective, but the Lord wants to be included in everything we are up to. Don't wait until things go sour to seek His assistance. Let's make Him a part of all that we do.

"Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart."
-Colossians 4:2 NLT