Write your plans in pencil, but give God the eraser.

I have plans/goals for my future. I am excited as I get closer to the time that they will unfold. Some of them are as follows:
-grow in Christ
-become an awesome nurse
-go to grad school one day
-become a great wife and mother
-buy a house
-do missions in Africa and South America
-travel
-be healthy

I like goals. They give you something to look forward to, something to work hard for. The above things are the desires of my heart. Above all, I want God perfect will to be done in my life. If some or all of those things don't happen I know I will be okay. But God never said don't state the desires of your heart. :)

All that said, its scares me that some of the people that are close to me don't have the same vision. Not the same goals, but they are not looking ahead at the future like I am. They have no plan, they haven't set out with anything to look forward too. I think they may be scared. Scared of change or striking out in the unknown. Maybe just plain scared of the future because its something we can't see. But we were not born with a spirit of fear! For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (2 Tim. 1:7). Its hard to have people around you that don't know what they want. I want people around me not just looking to next week, but looking to next year as well. Even Jesus had goals. His ultimate goal was to die for us. But along the way He lead as many people as He could to repent and turn to God. And I am sure, that was the plan. He's still doing it today...

So write your plans in pencil, but give God the eraser.