Have you ever come down with a bad case of “planner guilt”? When you had every intention of pouring your life and heart into each page, 365 days a year, only to discover that days, weeks, and (*gulp*) months have gone by . . . and there are more empty pages than full ones?

Take heart! There’s no such thing as planner failure. As your life takes on different rhythms and schedules throughout the year, “off days” are perfectly normal—and expected! So let grace, not shame, guide you back to your planner and back into God’s Word.

The most freeing way to approach your planner is to view its pages with fresh vision, with eyes focused on the year ahead—not on yesterday’s blank page. Try not to think you’ve got to go-big-or-go-home, feeling obligated to record every single yoga session, Crockpot dinner, and phone call to mom—every single day—complete with detailed prayer requests.

What if, when you fall behind in keeping your to-do list up-to-date in your Daily Planner, you turn your attention to that days devotion or maybe last weeks “Pink Letter Sunday”. It is in those places you’ll find your Heavenly Father saying, “I love meeting you here! . . .” as your planner quickly becomes a tool that guides your quiet times with God, instead of just a hub for organization.

Then, as life gets back into sync, you’ll be that much more empowered to fill your planner with appointments, deadlines, and the sweet words Jesus is whispering to you as you meet Him in His Word—all with fresh vision once again.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
2 CORINTHIANS 12:9