Three years ago when we launched NLC we had no idea what to expect. We had no idea how things would turn out or if anyone would turn out for that matter. One of the things that I learned later was that I put so much of my energy and time and focus into that grand opening event that it kept me from thinking much further into the future past that day. And in hindsight that was a mistake. Thank God for a great team who helped be gain the right perspective shortly thereafter. But regardless of how much we planned and prepared for the future there is one thing that we learned quickly – you can’t possibly plan for everything. This revelation caused us to adopt a cliche` that we share with church planters often and it goes like this: “EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED.” In other words, the one thing that you can count on in this life, whether it be business, church or relationships is that things are going to happen that you would have never expected. Circumstances are going to arise that you had absolutely no plan for…. at least not until the unexpected happened.
So what do you do when the unexpected happens? How do you behave when life takes a drastic turn? Here are a couple thoughts that may help:
1: Act: Take a step back and evaluate the situation. Stepping back gives you the opportunity to develop a plan that you can put into action. The tendency is to emotionally respond or react to the setback. And sometimes there are moments in life when a quick and instant decision must be made…. I call these dynamite decisions. But these type of decisions are rare for most of us. Action is always better than re-action and typically brings better results.
2: Learn: Every situation or circumstance that comes into your life is an opportunity to learn and grow. This setback may have been your fault or it may not have. But I don’t think that’s ever the point. We never get any where casting blame. The most important question is “what have I learned and where have I grown?”. Some of the most healthy change that comes to businesses or churches or relationships come because of an unexpected turn in events.
3: Trust: This is a great opportunity for your faith to take over. Regardless of what your belief system may be you put your faith in something or someone everyday. Only those who are intellectually dishonest deny faith. I choose to put my faith in God. I believe that God is omniscient and not bound by transitory time as we know it on this earth. He knows the future like we know the present and therefore He has the ability to provide us the wisdom and the discernment and the strength to press forward with a cognitive plan. All we have to do is ask [James 1:5-7]
The question really isn’t “will the unexpected occur in my life?”, we all know that it will and does. The question is how will I respond when it does and will I be better for it or become bitter by it.
