We were hoping to save time, eliminating any unnecessary time spent trapped in a car with screaming children. We mapped out plans that took us right around the affected area. We planned routes that that did not involve the interstate at all. We even debated leaving a day early to give ourselves more flexibility.
After hours of mapping, planning, and stressing, it finally hit me that we had wasted an entire day doing nothing but planning. Ultimately, we would get to our destination. There were no dead ends on our path. So what did it matter if we saved an hour or even two?
How much time does your church spend planning ministry events? Don’t get me wrong, they should be organized for effectiveness. But how much time do we waste mapping out every detail of our service to God and other people? How many more people could we be helping if we would just get to work?
The next time you catch yourself stressing about the details of a project, especially if the project involves directly serving people, just take a second and consider whether or not those details will make or break the project. If they are not that big of a deal, let them work themselves out. Time spent doing is almost always more productive than time spent planning.
Just get in the car and drive.