What’s Your Plan?

 

What’s Your Plan? 

It was a busy day and, as usual, people crowded Jesus to listen to His teachings  and to bring their sick to Him. A paralytic lying on a bed was brought by his  friends, but by then it was already impossible to even get within hearing distance  of Jesus. But these friends of the paralytic were enterprising. They had a plan  and failure was not part of it. So they went up the roof, calculated where Jesus  was, ripped off the tiles of the roof, and slipped down the paralytic before Jesus.  

If they were not going to have Jesus’ attention, they were going to get it— and get it they did. Luke mentions that Jesus saw their faith. They got Jesus’  attention, healing, and forgiveness as well. 

We can learn from the friends of the paralytic. First, they had a plan. They  intended to do something, and they were intent on carrying it out. They did  not simply wait for things to happen to them; they made things happen. They  believed in this principle: If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail. 

How many of us go through a day without a plan? How many of us go  through life without a plan? For example, I hear people tell me regretfully,  “Father, I thought it was going to be a great marriage.” When I ask them  whether they actually had plan for a successful marriage, I am often given a  surprised look or a regretful sigh. I have learned a lot from many of my married  friends. Marital bliss is not something that just happens; it is something you  make happen. The same principle applies to every human endeavor. 

Secondly, the paralytic’s friends did not only have a plan. They acted on  it. Most of our plans remain as they are—plans. Have you heard of the saying,  “The grass is greener on the other side of the fence”?  

People who act on their plan believe something else: “The grass is greener  where you water it.” Is the grass greener on the other side of the fence? Maybe  because you keep dreaming and pining to jump on the other side, you forget  to water your own side of the fence. Fr. Joel Jason

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS 

What area of your life is affected by the paralysis of a lack of a plan? Also, what  area is affected by the paralysis of an unworked-out plan? 

 

Lord Jesus, heal me from all my paralysis, both real and perceived. Help me plan my work and  work out my plans. Amen. 

 

Today, I pray for: __________________________________________________________