“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Do those words ring a bell?
Originally written by the renowned 18th-century Scottish poet Robert Burns, those words also inspired author John Steinbeck to write his novella Of Mice and Men in 1937. Steinbeck later penned his masterpiece, The Grapes of Wrath.
It is wise to plan all aspects of life. As a new insurance agent, part of my initial sales talk 40 years ago included the poignant phrase “People don’t plan to fail. They fail to plan.”
That’s certainly true, but it’s also true that many of our plans will fail! That’s a fact of life.
Burns presented this dilemma to us in his poem To a Mouse. Here’s what I have gleaned from this short poem.
He subtly conveys to the reader that even the most carefully devised plans often turn out quite different than we might hope.
There always seems to be those unanticipated circumstances that shape our lives. I suspect Burns, who died when he was but 37 years old, had a personal relationship with God.
A word about Steinbeck seems warranted as well. A Humanist, at least that’s my perception, he was one of the most gifted American writers of this past century.
Steinback found such value in this one line of poetry that he entitled one of his early literary contributions to portray the dilemma of early 20th-century migrant farm workers.
Many had dreams of a better life while most simply accepteded a mere existence barely surviving on paltry pennies.
God’s Word has much to say on the subject of planning for the future and that’s where I’d like to take this discussion.
Let’s start with a Psalm of David. In Psalm 20:4-6 we read, “May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests. Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand.”
I must add the next verse, since it’s one of my most often-used memory verses. Psalm 20:7 boldly proclaims “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
That’s how I live out my life these days in business, in our family and in all circumstances. His desires for my life have become my desires as I live for Christ!
Now let’s move to Proverbs for a little sage advice from King David’s son, Solomon.
In Proverbs 15:21-22 we’re instructed, “Folly delights in a man who lacks judgment, but a man of understanding keeps a straight course. Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed.”
Let me add a caveat. I’ve been blessed with the counsel of many Christian professionals who have shared their wisdom over these past four decades. They also have prayed for success and God’s will to be done in all I do.
So, here’s my bottom line. The best laid plans are those I’ve brought before my Lord.
If He approves and my heart is aligned with His, I know those plans will certainly succeed.