Can you think back on some things you’ve done with very good intentions, which turned out to be somewhat disastrous? Here’s one of those common urges:

Resist the urge to wait for everything to be perfect before you take action.

I have examined resisting the urge to launch into something based solely on your emotions. This is the flip side of that urge—and that is the idea that we can’t possibly make a move or get anything going until all our ducks are in a row and we have every resource we need to make it happen.

Whether it’s on your job or in your personal life, seldom will everything fall perfectly in place as you pursue something new or challenging. Sometimes we set up preconditions for moving forward that are either unrealistic or simply an excuse for staying put! I can tell you no matter how much homework you do, no matter how careful your planning process is—and it should be—things will not go exactly according to plan. And most often you have to get going before you have everything you think you need.

I remember a few years ago when I was in the midst of guiding a project that needed careful planning. We did tons of planning, including a detailed strategic plan, lots of counsel with wise people, educating ourselves in many ways. But I can tell you God made it clear that we make our plans, but it is him that guides our path.

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails (Proverbs 19:21).

God has ways of showing us his way is perfect, not ours. And we can move forward in whatever we believe he would have us do with confidence that our best plans will no doubt undergo lots of changes along the way.

This is how our faith is increased; how we learn to truly trust God, and of course, when we trust him, he is pleased with us. Resist the urge to sit on the sidelines and wait for every “T” to be crossed and every “I” dotted.