Plan A.

Ok, so if you know me you'll know I would happily watch Will Smith movies all day & I don't think I know anyone who couldn't. We all know him for his acting and slightly less publicised Hip Hop career but it's only today that I saw a bit more of the real Will Smith. You know - the human who doesn't have super powers or have every conversation from a script.

I watched an interview where he shared what he believed to be the secret to his success and I have to admit, I have been inspired. He was driven by the desire to do good and the want for the world to be better because he was here. I would happily quote the whole interview but there were 3 things he said that really stuck out to me and have challenged me to think about how I measure 'success'.

"Being realistic is the most commonly travelled road to mediocrity. What's the point in being realistic?"

What is the point in being realistic? If everyone were realistic in their ideas and dreams then we wouldn't have moved past the stone age.
Reality can be defined as "That which exists objectively and in fact." and therefore, if we never thought further than reality as we know it then we would never know and step into new realities. For example, what if Thomas Edison had let his daydreams be boxed in by reality? We would still be living by candle light!
Our world is how it is now because people have a natural desire for more. Reality isn't enough. Reality is boring.
Success is only acheived when we acknowledge our reality but we aren't held back by it. We don't have to be defined by our reality because we have the ability to define our reality.

"He who says he can and he who says he can't are both usually right."

This statement is so true. So many people don't succeed because they give up trying. You know, if you never give up you're going to succeed eventually.

This is exactly what I mean when I say we can define our realities. The moment you speak something out, it becomes your reality. So if what comes out of your mouth is "I can do this" ,that shapes your reality. If it is "I can't do this", it has the same effect.

A lot of the time we blame our circumstances or situations for our failures but we must come to understand that we aren't ruled by those circumstances but it is infact the choices that we make that decide the outcome.

"Theres a redemptive power that making a choice has, rather than feeling that you're at affect to all the things that are happening around you, make a choice and just decide who you're going to be, what youre going to be, how you're going to do it and the universe will get out of your way."

"There's no reason to have a plan B 'cause it distracts from plan A."

If plan A fulfils your heart desires, gets you excited and pushes you forward, why would you create a plan B? Plan A will only fail if you give up on it. Plan B will only be needed if you choose it. So why waste time planning for something you won't need. Put everything into Plan A! An idea will only become a reality if you work for it. If plan A isn't working, I can only question your commitment to it.

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Now I know there's probably atleast one person reading this thinking 'where's God in all of this?' Well, lets go back to the first quote:

"Being realistic is the most commonly travelled road to mediocrity. What's the point in being realistic?" Well, With God I choose to live in a different reality... a heavenly reality where all things are possible and nothing can hold me back.

Second quote: "He who says he can and he who says he can't are both usually right." God tells me I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and therefore to say 'I can't' is to diminish the power of Christ.

Third quote:"There's no reason to have a plan B 'cause it distracts from plan A." My plan A is Jesus. Jesus is the truth and the truth is the only thing that's ever going to be constant. Which is why I am not afraid to give everything I am to Plan A... Success? He's already won it all.

"You cant be scared to die for the truth. The truth is the only thing that's ever going to be constant."

He goes before me.

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8

This week I was reminded of how much God cares for me. I walked into a situation where I was scared of being humilated because my thoughts had run away with me and I was aiming for something that wasn't there, i.e. I doubted my hearts desires and I doubted the promptings of the Holy Spirit. But I took the plunge nonetheless and of course, God proved faithful.

So there I was, ready to be made to look stupid or be disheartened, and then I find out that God had already gone before me to prepare the hearts and minds of the people I was going to see and to confirm with me that the promptings I was following were from Him.

I had a moment where I was just totally blown away at the thought of God speaking to someone about me.
I mean, God has spoken to me about other people to encourage them plenty of times but I've never really thought about it in this way; God cares about me and loves me so much that He would talk to someone else, about ME!... just to confirm what He has already spoken to me.
He doesn't have to do that... but he does it anyway, because He loves us and doesnt want us to be confused or frustrated in the plans He has for us.

I think sometimes we worry about how we are going to see Gods plans for our lives come to pass and we take each step as if it is dependent on us.
But that isn't the case. (Thank you, Lord)
You see, if God tells you to walk from one side of a bridge to the other, I think He'll provide the bridge... Don't you?
If God makes a plan for your life you can rest assured that He will go before you and pave the way and then He will be there for every step of it.

So we should take each step not as if it is dependent on ourselves,
but as if it is dependent on Him,
He will never leave you nor forsake you.