Plan B

Picture this: Things are all good. You're well on your way down the road of life and then....BANG! Disruption.

It could be one of a million different things; an illness, a death in the family, a job layoff, a bad grade, or even CORONAVIRUS! Whatever it is, it can bring you to a fork in the road that requires you to make some serious decisions that can mean success or failure for your life.

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.

How many times have you heard that line? I know, it sounds simplistic and a bit trite. But, actually, there's some truth in it.

It really is all about your attitude. It has been said that you cannot control every circumstance or what people do to or say about you. But you can, 100% of the time, control how you respond to these. That's attitude!

Change in an instant

Who of us would have thought even 90 days ago that our entire Lighthouse school classroom education system would be turned on its head and we would be delivering classes via livestream video?

Or who would have thought that our entire United States economy would be thrown into the throes of depression-era unemployment levels due to business shutdowns primarily because of the advice of a couple physicians advising our President?

If someone would have told you these things just a mere three months ago, you might have thought them to be crazy. But that is exactly where we are.

Couldn’t the world change in as surprising a way between now and the end of the year as it did from January to April? Of course it could. That should be a primary takeaway of 2020.

So what are we going to do about it? Enter PLAN B!

Your and my time will not allow me to go into specific, individual plans here. However, we can review some steps each of us can take that will help us better and more successfully navigate the challenges in our alternative plans.

Be prepared

Many of the most successful people and businesses are those that prepare for contingencies. Contingencies are the "if plans". "If this happens or If that happens, I'll ___________." That blank is, of course, the contingency.

Obviously, you can't plan for every single possibility. But you can mitigate a lot of the more probable scenarios with a little planning.

1. Take some time to think about some different scenarios that could play out in the various compartments of your life. These include family, job, business, school, weather, etc. Questions you may ask yourself include, "What would happen if this coronavirus shutdown lasts longer than anyone anticipated?" Write down some possible contingencies.

2. Figure out and specify what would need to happen in order for you to put your contingency plan into action. "If you have a plan for hurricane, will it be triggered by a severe weather warning, or only by actual hurricane?"

3. Jot down a step-by-step overview of the strategy you will follow in response to the trigger.

4. Get some counsel and wise advice. Remember, the bible tells us that wisdom comes from God. So make sure your advice is from good, Godly counsel.

5. Once you've finalized your plans, tuck them away for safe keeping. Review them regularly and begin to live your life as you already planned.

Maybe you've already begun your Plan B with everything that has been going on with the coronavirus shutdown. Or perhaps you've not felt as big a disruption as some of your family members or friends have experienced. In either event, pray and ask God to give you the opportunities to bless others.

It's clear God is still on His throne and nothing can remove Him from it.

~Peace