Preparedness: The Value of Planning in God’s Plan 

Self-reliance  Presentation: 9-6-15

OBJECTIVE: Understand the importance of planning and be able to apply its principles and methods.

PRINCIPLE 1: Planning is a godly principle and practice

DISCUSSION A: What does it mean to plan?  Definition of “plan” 1 : a drawing or diagram showing the parts or details of something 2 a : a method for accomplishing an objective; b : the end toward which effort is directed. Ask a few class members to name one thing that came about because of a plan.  

DISCUSSION B: What was the first plan? Have someone read Abr. 3:22-26. “We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever”

One of the key lessons Heavenly Father taught us in that "world of spirits" was the important role of councils and counseling together in gospel governance. From the very beginning, God has done His work through a system of organized councils. Perhaps the primary purpose of Councils is to receive revelation and instruction, and to act on that revelation and inspiration through plans.

The first council of which we are aware occurred before the world on which we live was created, in a place all of us have been but none of us can remember. God, our Heavenly Father, was the presiding authority at this most significant gathering. At His side was His firstborn, Jehovah, whom we now know as Jesus Christ. We don't know exactly how this Council in Heaven was conducted or the procedure that was followed. Although we speak of the Council in Heaven as a single council, there may have been a number of council meetings where the gospel was taught, where prophets and others were foreordained, and where other assignments were made to individuals. President Joseph Fielding Smith made the following statement about councils in premortal life: "When the time arrived for us to be advanced in the scale of our existence and pass through this mundane probation, councils were held and the spirit children were instructed in matters pertaining to conditions in mortal life, and the reason for such an existence" (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:57).

DISCUSSION C: For classroom purposes, have someone tell the following story.  Then discuss how such things can happen to us when we fail to plan and execute our plan with diligence.  

There is a story about a farmer who told his wife he was going out to mow the north forty. On his way to the machine shed, he noticed a loose board on the corn crib. So he went to look for a hammer and some nails which he remembered leaving on the back porch. This led him through the garden which he noticed was quite weedy. He decided to weed a row of carrots, telling himself that he ought to weed a row a day. About two-thirds of the way down the carrot row he straightened up to rest his back and, looking over his shoulder, he saw he had left the gate open and some hens had come into the garden and were scratching up his sweet corn. It took about fifteen minutes to get them out and back into the hen yard. It took another half hour to mend the hole through which they were getting out. After that he figured he had just as well gather the eggs. As he began to do so, he noticed that the nests needed more straw; so he left the eggs and went after a bale of straw. As he was about to pick up the straw, he noticed his pitchfork had a broken handle and remembered that he hadn't fixed it. So he went to the machine shop to hunt for the new handle he had bought. While hunting, he stumbled across the mowing machine and remembered he was going to spend the day mowing.

PRINCIPLE 2:  By acquiring, in advance, the skills and resources necessary to cope effectively with difficulties, Latter-day Saints can minimize or avoid the suffering that accompanies the unexpected.

          

DISCUSSION A: What are some of the things or activities in our lives for which we need to plan?  These plans usually fall into short-term plans within the next few hours, days or weeks; midterm plans that anticipate the next few months, and long-term plans for the next several years.  List these three headings on the board or paper and make a list of the types of plans that would go under each heading. 

           DISCUSSION B: What do we need to know and what are some of the skills necessary to good planning?  These might include

1. Knowing what our goal is.

2. Knowing how to measure our progress toward our goal. 

3. The ability to look at an activity, goal, and event and somehow break it down into its parts, like slicing a pie – how many pieces or parts, what do I do first, then second, then third.

4. How many people, or materials, or money, or how much time will be needed to accomplish the plan and what information do they need?

5. Determining what “internal resources” will be needed to accomplish our plan.  These include the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energy to accomplish the plan.

What else might be needed?

DISCUSSION C: For classroom presentation, play the first 6 minutes 2 seconds of the following video: https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-09-0010-linda-k-burton?lang=eng; “Prepared in a Manner that Never Had Been Known”.

Following the video discuss how Sister Burton’s message can be applied in our lives.