Of Planes and Plans

I need to write down a concrete 3-years plan soon for the drama/creative team ministry! Succession planning... what else... vision casting... gosh. I can't believe I'm actually starting to want to plan! And to think Hanhui kept leaning on me to start doing a 5-years plan, like... 5 years ago. Hohoho.

Nope, my 5-years plans 5 years ago is so not happening today. And thank God that these plans of mine didn't come to pass. Because God had planned something better for me (Heb 11:40a). And His plans are so way beyond what I or my leaders could even dare to dream of. (1 Cor 2:9). Too beautiful to imagine... but I have seen His too-beautiful-to-imagine plans actually come to pass in my life! So awed, and so grateful, and so humbled, even up to today. :D

So was it a waste of time to plan then?

No! In fact, that's precisely why I'm so glad I did my 5-years plan, even though almost everything in my 5-years plan 5 years ago failed to come to pass. Because... all my limited human plans served to amplify and magnify the even more amazing plans that God has in store for me.

Like how a man-made space shuttle looks really huge by human standards... but when put next to the Sun... man, oh man, only then can we humans begin to start understanding just how huge the God-made Sun really is.

BTW, to put this into perspective, remember that the shuttle was about 150 million kilometers (93 million miles) away from the sun when the photos were taken. Still not feeling small yet? :)

And yet...even the God-made Sun is but a mere shadow in the light of God's own Son:

The sun cannot compare
To the glory of Your love
There is no shadow in Your presence
No mortal man would dare
To stand before Your throne
Before the Holy One of heaven
It's only by your blood
And it's only by your mercy
Lord, I come...

Isn't this such a beautiful truth, freely available to all who would call upon the Father with child-like faith? Isn't this enough to bring tears to your eyes and your heart? That God would so love us, that He gave His one and only Son? That to believe in Him, we will not only not perish, but also have life everlasting?

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Planning turns out to be like a small kid trying to make a toy plane one fine day. He achingly agonizes over each detail in the construction, fingers fumbling with each delicate component. He carefully glues each joint... and then after a few seconds of triumphant admiration, he takes his model plane, and tosses it into the air. Yes, it flies... for half a second. And it breaks up into more pieces than when it originally came in the box. The little boy groans in dismay.

Then, his dad, who is an aircraft engineer, sees the whole thing. He smiles, and takes his son's hand. "Come with me son. I just made a plane that is like yours!" The son is ecstatic. "Really, Daddy? How big is your plane?"

"Oh, bigger than you can ever imagine!"

"Can it fly?"

"You bet it does!"

"Oooh! Daddy! Show me now!"

So the father takes his son into the hangar... and the son's eyes open wide in awe. Right before his innocent eyes is the first real live plane that he's ever seen. Dad asks his son: "Want to fly in my plane?"

"OOH! YES DADDY! PLEASE!"

And to the son's utter delight... his dad taxis the plane down the runway... and then turns on the jet engines. Whoooosh.... ROAR. The son is awe-struck. For him, this is no longer a plane... it is a majestic fiery phoenix, screaming with a voice shriller than anything he's ever heard. And it suddenly roars down the runway, screaming with exultant, flame-spitting glee. It spreads its wings, swiftly leaps off and then hurls itself forwards towards the sun-mottled clouds. Now the son is a Na'vi brave, riding a fiercely proud Toruk. He is no longer bound to earth's surly bonds - he is now a brave sky-warrior, touching the very face of God.

But before he can fully absorb everything, his dad lands the plane safely. And the son is disappointed, brought back to earth. But his disappointment melts away, as his dad grins and ruffles his son's hair.

"How was it, son?"

"Dad... YOU ARE AWESOME! Teach me, I want to make planes fly like you can do!"

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Yup. :) Hope this little story helps you see the awe and wonder that I am feeling, when I see how even though my little scale models that barely pass off for a plan - this experience of struggling to plan actually helps me to appreciate all the more the Master's skill and wisdom in conceptualizing, designing and executing His amazing, life-sized plans.

Yup! So let's begin to plan today... that we may be able to see and appreciate what God has planned! Let's prepare to be totally awed and humbled by God's perfect wisdom... as we partner with Him in reaching out to the whole wide world! Amen!

Ephesians 3:14-21
For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20Now 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, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.