A bit in a horse’s mouth steers the whole horse. Without the other pieces of tack in place, it can be a wild ride with just a bit to hold on to. If we make a Plan for the year without being sure to Reflect, Simplify, Dream, and Focus, we risk a disastrous consequences. I know. I once went for a wild ride with only a bit to guide me.
I was sixteen when I went out for a ride with a friend. The beginning was exhilarating, but as we turned out into the open field, we took off at a gallop with nothing to stop us before the distant fence-line. That’s when the old leather girth holding my saddle in place snapped under the pressure. We were moving so fast that I couldn’t stay in my stirrups. With my fingers clenching the horse’s mane, I gripped the bridle that pulled the bit in the horse’s mouth. I hung on for dear life, expecting it would be my last ride. As trees whizzed past, I slipped under the horse’s neck, still hanging on. I didn’t last long before I had to let go, instinctively covering my helmeted head as I dropped and rolled beneath the stumbling hooves of the beast above me.
When life rolls at a full gallop, weak links snap and leave you holding on only to the plan you once confidently trusted to steer your year. Each piece of the tack is essential to reaching your destination.
January 1st always begs me to skip the seemingly “extra” pieces of equipment and skip ahead to making my plan. After all, I’m a girl who can’t wait to get out in the meadow and ride at a gallop. It’s a recipe for disaster. Taking time ASK God to help us Reflect, Simplify, and Dream what He desires makes us steady for the ride to come. Once foundational pieces are in place, we’re able to respond to what He shows us and take AIM in our Focus so we can Plan our steps.
Good or bad, weak or strong, barely there or fixed in place, The Plan we choose will steer our year.
The amazing thing about a plan is that, while we create a Plan for our goals, God directs our steps. “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Prov. 26:9).
He gives us wisdom to prioritize our lives and develop a strategy-path to move in the direction of the dreams He has given us. We’ve been created with a purpose. Just as a horse is meant to run and a ship is meant to sail, we are meant to move forward in God’s Plan for us. Creating simple, attainable, measurable steps helps us evaluate whether or not we are on track in that Plan.
If you face temptation like I do, and you have a Plan for this year, but the rest of your “tack” is weak or non-existent, you can still go “back to the barn” and do some more thorough Planning for a Great Year. Take it from a girl who walked away with a helmet full of hoof marks and a few “U” shaped bruises on her back, it’s dangerous to ride hard with just a single piece to steer the year.
Check out 2New Card #5 to Plan for a Great Year.
Be sure to watch for the final tool Card next week that will help you make sure the 2013 ride is all it’s meant to be.
