Inflexibility. Not a good word if you desire to succeed in life. Life is full of unexpected things. We may set a goal or have a vision for something. There is careful (and sometimes, not-so-careful) planning that goes into the ‘how exactly will we make this work?’.
Mortals make elaborate plans, but GOD has the last word. You may make your plans, but God directs your actions.
Proverbs 16:1,9
A ballistic missile while locked onto its target, isn’t always directly lined up with the target. Wind turbulence, earth curvature, gravitational pull, and air pressure can shift the trajectory of the launched missile. As it rockets through the air, there may be thousands of minuet adjustments made on the flight path. The target remains constant, but the path to get there is a trajectory of continual adaptations.
So it is with life. You have a goal; how you attain that goal may change from time to time. There will be seasons in which you realize that ‘what got me here, may not be what gets me there.’
Be flexible, resilient. Change. Adjust. Adapt.
In the past 10 years of educating our children, I have learned to approach education with open hands. ‘What is it that we need this season? What do each of the kids need? What do I need, and what is good for the family as a whole?’
All these questions we seriously consider at the beginning of the school year and throughout the year as well.
There have been years in which all the kids are homeschooled. One year we had a sixth grader in private school. At the same time, our 9-year-old was in public elementary school with an IEP. That was a great fit for him for two years, until he got bored. I pulled him halfway through the school year and started homeschooling him again.
Recently, we find ourselves in a new season: the 9th grader just started at Ephrata High School. This is a monumental change for him, but he makes me proud because he is willing to try new things.
Key: Don’t sacrifice the vision to an inflexible strategy. Be OK if things look different than originally anticipated. Adjust, and carry on. Each season requires change in some way.
Hold tenaciously to your vision but be flexible with your strategy.
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. Proverbs 19:21