Planning

A monk once said to Abba Philemon:
“I am very conscious of how my mind
constantly wanders all over the place,
drifting after things that are not good for it.
What can I do, father, to be delivered?”
And he hesitated for a little while and then replied,
“This is a remnant of the obsessions
your external life inflicts on you.
It still troubles you because you have not yet
reached the heights of perfect longing for God.
The longing for the experience of God
has not yet fallen on you like a fire."

Abba Philemon

It is the nagging question about how to do, the unending stress of being overcommitted, the constant care and worry over friends and things that so often distract us when we pray. Being able to carry on a few minutes of conversation with God seems so difficult. The wise spiritual leaders before us would rightly teach that it is because we are not impassioned with God, for those in passion always give their most to that object of passion. Look to the newly engaged or the young loves for examples.

Leadership planning is the same for it requires great focus and the ability to walk away from doing into thinking and planning. We must be impassioned with the next step and impassioned with the end goal enough to cause us to push away the distractions and make time to plan. Those of us who cannot stop long to plan and dream will only lead well for short periods of time.  How much do we long to lead?