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January 03, 2007 |
Make No Little Plans
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." - 1 Corinthians 2:9
As a Chicagoan, I've long been drawn to a quote attributed to Daniel Burnham, the visionary city planner who designed Chicago's beautiful lakefront in the early 1900's. He said, "Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood."
As followers of Christ, we too are taught to make no little plans. The Bible says that God is able to do "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20). And this month's verse tells us that the plans we typically conjure up pale in comparison to the plans God has for us. As a new year begins and we set our goals and make our plans, we would do well to consider the lessons of these verses.
What if this was the year that you followed God's counsel to make no little plans? Financially, what would that look like? Would it involve pursuing that career move that's been tugging at your heart for so long, the one that seems so unrealistic, so impossible? Would it involve freeing yourself from the bondage of consumer debt once and for all? What desire has God placed on your heart? Write it down. And then tell someone about it. Can you feel your blood starting to stir? Can you sense God's delight?
Because Daniel Burnham took his own advice to heart, he left a great legacy to all who live in or visit Chicago: a beautiful park-lined lakefront that every year draws countless picnickers, bikers, runners, and strollers. What "no-little-plans" dream has God placed on your heart? It's probably something other--something bigger--than the goals that first come to mind. And your pursuit of it is likely to have a far greater, longer-lasting impact than you can imagine.
To Be Told
It's the beginning of a new year and many of us are setting goals, making plans. But how do we decide which goals to set, which plans to follow? Are the ones we choose connected to the big picture of...
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