What gain has the worker from his toil? (Ecclesiastes 3:9)

A popular question that has found itself linked to success and achievement is, “How much of a planner are you?” The prevailing sentiment is that sticking to a solid plan will lead to a successful outcome. Yet there can be great variation in how we approach planning.

Are you someone who needs to know what to expect at all times, keeping a diligently filled calendar, preparing for the day, week, and month ahead? Or did you read that sentence and think “dude, I don’t even know what I’m making for dinner tonight”? There’s as much variety among us planners as there is among our plans.

I’m the type who makes daily short-term plans motivated by their contribution to long-term goals. The exception is my plan for the summer. Accustomed to the academic calendar, summer is the transition to new challenges coming in the fall. It’s the time to “level up” before I take on more complicated and demanding responsibilities. To prepare, I find a few new things to learn or try. Then, I set checkpoints throughout the upcoming 12 weeks to get through it all by August. If I meet all my checkpoints, I’ll have satisfied the plan and reached my goals.

The problem is that nothing ever goes according to plan.

Allow me to clarify, I may (or may not) reach my target in the end, but the path hardly ever looks how I imagined. I know that a plan can be a worthwhile guide; however, I’m consistently reminded that the journey rarely looks like my oh-so-ideal vision. 

Ecclesiastes 3:9 brings a few questions to mind as I form yet another summer plan. What do I have to gain from planning and hard work? Why do I continue to trust in my ability to plan if I never meet my own expectations? Am I expecting too much of myself? Am I pursuing work apropos the season I am in, or the season I want to be in?

I’m led to think that nothing goes according to my plan because my goal does not always align with God’s intention for the business that He has given me (v. 10). This summer, I want to invite God into the planning process. If the plan is to be a worthwhile guide as I said earlier, then I want God to be at the heart of my intentions. This way, I might more easily discern what season He has me in and the form my work should take.

It’s frustratingly exciting when I still reach my goals, but the path looks nothing like I imagined. And even if my vision never works out, there is joy in knowing that God’s plan was always to make everything beautiful in its time (v 11).

What time is it, for you, for your life?  Is there a new season you’re heading into?  If so, what sort of “work” will this season call for from you?  How can you prepare yourself for the new season/new kind of labor?