May He give you the desires of your heart and make all your plans succeed. Psalm 20:4, NIV

What do you think of when I say, “Live life deliberately?” Do you think of having goals, objectives, and a plan?

As an educator, you spend hours writing lesson plans to meet goals, present objectives, and show the plan for how they will be achieved. But do you have goals, desires, and a plan for your life?

Although we trust that God formed His plan for our life before the earth even came to be, it is up to us to set goals and work toward them. How can God give us the desires of our hearts if we do not even know what we desire?

I reached a point in my life where I felt like my life was running me instead of me running my life. Schedules, commitments, daily routines, and a massive number of interruptions and urgent situations filled my days, leaving me wondering eighteen hours later what I had accomplished for that day. My to-do list grew out of control, I was unorganized, and chaos seemed to surround me. I was a walking example of the saying, “The more you jump through hoops, the more you feel out of the loop.” I had to stop, regroup, reorganize, prioritize, and set goals. I wrote up a plan and shared it with my family and staff. We discussed needed resources and deadlines and lived life deliberately.

We all need goals and plans! Today, I challenge you to write down your goals and invite your students to do the same. Then, write out a plan to achieve those goals. Ask your students how you can help them achieve their goals. I encourage you to enjoy this process, dream big, and try the impossible!

Dear God, help us to dream big and find ways to live life deliberately in our daily environments—classrooms, hallways, meetings, cafeterias, offices, etc. Amen.

Copyright Kathy Branzell.

Kathy has a heart for encouraging Christian educators and currently serves as the President of the National Day of Prayer Task Force. Prior to this role, she was the founder and president of Fellowship and Christian Encouragement (FACE) for Educators.