Andrea Sanborn

My planner is empty. I bought it at the start of the year in an attempt to become more organized and purposeful with my days. Now it sits unused, this quarantine period having erased weddings, meetings and get-togethers.

Am I, too, sitting empty in this waiting time? It is easy to let the hours and days slip by, uncounted and unappreciated. It was easier to be motivated when I thought this downtime would only last for a few weeks. Now the unknown lies before us, and lethargy and discouragement have crept in through the unguarded cracks in my intentions.

 “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Paul wrote to the Ephesians. Yes, these days are evil. Am I making the most of the opportunities He’s laid before me?

It’s time to dust off my planner. To seek new ways to enrich my life and be a blessing to others. The world is changing. Will I stubbornly insist that it return to the old ways, or be open to something new?

There was a man in our church who clung tightly to the past and refused to acknowledge the new. If we sang a hymn, you could hear his voice booming out from the back of the sanctuary. But if we sang a modern song he would stand scowling, arms crossed in protest, refusing to worship because the music didn’t fit into his narrow parameters.

We are beginning the painful transition between the old way of doing things and the new right now. I don’t want to come out on the other side like that man, clinging to the past way of life and refusing to embrace change. No, I’d rather be the one to lift my hands in worship and surrender in this new season, welcoming uncomfortable changes as hidden opportunities to find new ways to grow in my faith and bless others.

Today I will pull my planner out of the drawer. Instead of making appointments I will make lists. Prayer lists. Gratitude lists. Growth lists.

Today I will dust off my hope and my joy and put them back where they belong, front and center in my heart and in my words. It is time to reclaim and refresh my purpose in living, which should be strengthened, not diminished by this time of fear and loss.

Corrie Ten Boom said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”

Today I will open my planner and my heart to the One who calls me to follow Him into that unknown future, knowing that His love is enough to carry me all the way home.