A Well-Planned Life

In their book “Refresh,” Shona and David Murray make an important distinction between two ways to live life:

“The Well-Planned Life is one in which we take time to find a clear purpose, then make appropriate decisions about how to spend our time and use our talents in light of that. The person living the Summoned Life, on the other hand, rejects the possibility of long-term planning, but, as situations and circumstances arise, asks, ‘What are these circumstances summoning me to do? How should I react?’ I’m sure most of us can recognize ourselves in one of these–or maybe both, depending on the day.

So, which is the best way to live? Based on the truth of being made in the image of God and therefore called to reflect, to some degree, his purposeful sovereignty, I believe that every Christian should build on the firm base of a Well-Planned Life.”

I read “Refresh” shortly after Crossway published the book in 2017, and this idea of the Summoned Life vs. the Well-Planned Life stayed with me, probably because I tend to live a Summoned Life even though I would desperately like to live a Well-Planned Life. As a new year begins, I’d like to share my goals (or resolutions) with you, keeping the idea of a Well-Planned Life for the glory of God and His good purposes in mind.

First, I’d like to place priority this year on the main roles God gives me to fulfill and to enjoy. Those include being a wife, mom, home educator, sister and daughter, and church member. I consider anything beyond these roles extra and subject to scrutiny. That sounds so formal, but I mean it! My anxiety returned about a month ago, and I can’t float along anymore tossed on the waves, enthusiastically participating in every new activity that comes my way. I must make sure I can fulfill these roles in a way that shows I love God and my neighbors before I take on new responsibilities.

Second, I’d like to help my family by placing priority on activities that help all of us feel refreshed, together!

For me, those activities include music, exercise, and reading and writing. I group reading and writing together because the more I do one, the more I do the other! I would specifically like to read through the entire Bible this year, something I’ve started a few times, but never finished. This Bible-reading plan comes highly recommended, so I’m going to give it a try. I continue on with the ukulele, learning a couple new songs a week and also writing my own. Prioritizing exercise challenges me every year. I hope Brian and I can start exercising together after the kids go to bed. We can listen to a podcast we like, or even watch a movie! Marriage-building and endurance-building make an excellent combination.

For all of us, I’d mostly just like to see us exercise more as a family and incorporate more music lessons into our homeschool days. Easy-peasy. Both music and exercise help the children stay calm and focused and encourage creativity. Sometimes our family exercise will simply mean sledding down the steep hills in our backyard, and sometimes I hope we all venture to the YMCA to enjoy the gym or the pool. In the warmer months, we go outside as much as possible. We can study music and addition together by learning note values and then writing music measures in different time signatures. Or, we can study patterns by practicing different rhythms with a drum pad. So many fun options to do together.

We also started doing family worship together most nights of the week. I cannot stress enough the massive benefits worshipping God together brings to our family life and growth. We learn new hymns together, read the same Bible verses, and spend time in prayer together. The kids practice sitting still and are to learning to answer questions and ask questions about the Bible. God’s Word is changing their hearts, and we praise God for the beauty, goodness, and grace found in His truth. I look forward to family worship each day, and hope this tradition continues for our family this year and all the years to come.

Did you set any New Year’s goals or resolutions for this year?