Make No Little Plans
My family spent a couple of days in Chicago recently. Among the many things I love about Chicago is the city’s park-lined lakefront. It was an important part of urban planner Daniel Burnham’s vision and is today one of his greatest legacies. It stands as a daily embodiment of one of his most famous quotes: “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood…”
Making no little financial plans
Do you live by a vision that guides your use of money? Two examples from my own life come to mind.
Early in our relationship, my wife and I developed a shared vision that if we were blessed with kids we’d like for her to be able to stay home with them. We arranged our finances accordingly, living primarily on one income when we both worked outside the home so that it would be easier to live on one if and when we had kids. I’ve seen countless benefits that have come from that decision. It’s one we will never regret.
The other major example has to do with my career path. When I worked in corporate America, I had a good job that paid well and provided other nice benefits. After a few years, though, the work I did day in and day out didn’t seem all that meaningful. So, bathed in prayer, with my wife’s full support, with the input of some trusted mentors, and with 18 months’ worth of living expenses in the bank, I quit in order to begin writing and speaking about biblical money management full-time. Since then, there have been some incredibly challenging seasons, but I live with the sense that I’m doing what God put me here to do.
The clock is ticking
One of the most common regrets of the elderly is that they didn’t take more risks. Is there some vision that you sense God has put on your heart? Are there nights you can’t sleep because you’re thinking of it? If that vision has some staying power—and if you’re married, if it’s something your spouse can support—why not get about pursuing it? My encouragement to all of us is to not grow old wondering what might have been.
Has God put a vision on your heart? What is it? And is there something you would have to do differently financially in order to start pursuing it?
Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” – Luke 9:23
What vision has God put on your heart? What would it cost you to pursue it? And perhaps more importantly, what would it cost you not to?
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. – Ephesians 3:20-21