Develop Your Second-Act Script

Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established.
—-Proverbs 16:3

Mary Crowley founded the Home Interiors Company, which grossed hundreds of millions of dollars. But Mary started that company during the second act of her life. Mary was a recently divorced mother who was desperate to provide for her children. After letting go of the regrets of her marital failure, she sensed God was using these negative circumstances to lead her to do something big. So she started a direct-sales business that not only helped women provide for their own families but also supported Christian organizations around the world.

So how did she start this company? She developed a script. Mary believed in planning and in goal setting.

Over and over the Bible extols the value of careful planning in every area of your life. Obviously God has the final word about our future, but that doesn’t mean we should avoid making plans. Perhaps you are in an intermission and wondering, “What should I be doing during this time?” One thing you ought to be doing is developing your second-act script so that when God does raise the curtain and says your intermission is over, you know what you’re supposed to do. We all need a second-act script, a plan for our future.

I suggest you set aside some time to write out your plan. Here are four important components of developing your second-act script.

First, clarify the problem. Summarize in a phrase the problem you are trying to remedy in your life, such as divorce, financial insolvency, wrong career choice, or termination from a job.

Second, visualize the goal. In a sentence describe what your desired outcome would be for this problem. For example, let’s say you are facing financial stress. You could say, “I would like to have just enough money so I don’t have to be overly concerned about finances in the future.”

Third, identify the obstacles. What barriers are keeping you from your optimal situation? In the example of financial stress, maybe your income is too little or your outgo is too much.

Fourth, specify steps of action. Once you have identified the obstacles, write down specific action steps to remove those obstacles. For example, if you have insufficient cash flow, maybe you could find a different job, get a second job, or reduce your expenses.

We all need a plan. We all need a second-act script.

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Today’s devotion is excerpted from “Begin Your Second Act Now!” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2016.

Scripture quotations are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.