At The Well: Goals

If you're from Minnesota, as I am, you might be thinking about a different kind of goal today!  In the aftermath of last night's game between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints, it's not only the Vikings and Brett Favre that're feeling beat up!  Fans have had high hopes dashed once again, as the Vikings fumbled the ball, missed opportunities, and made too few goals!  In football, it's all or nothing. You make goals or you lose.  And "that's all she wrote".  But, fortunately for us as Christians, God doesn't look at making goals that way.  On December 31 God doesn't look back at our New Year's goals sheet, see how many of our goals we made, and if we didn't make them all, do a "thumbs down," accompanied by a long B-e-e-e-e-p, which communicates, "Sorry, you didn't make it, you lose"!  If you're a Minnesota Vikings fan, and you think goals and winning the Super Bowl are everything, you're probably more than a little depressed today. Fortunately Faith and football are not the same. God does not judge me by the number of goals I make, or whether I make any, I don't think. But He is communicating with me, "coaching" me, you could even say, and I want to run His plays. The goals I write down are my thoughts on the plays I think He wants me to run.

I set goals in faith every year, but some of them are more like "guidelines" and others are more like "dreams."  After much prayer, I pencil in something here, and something there.  Some of them I set high, like memorization goals, and reading-through-the-Bible-in-a-year goals, knowing that everything I do along these lines will be going in the right direction:  it's not the reaching the goal that's the important thing, but what working at the goal accomplishes in me that is important.  Other goals are what I believe God is directing me to do, like ministry efforts I feel led to start, or saving and giving goals.  But, being married, these goals have to be confirmed through agreement from my husband, and the circumstances and provision that the Lord gives throughout the year.  Other goals are like a mountain peak which I can see way up high, that seems very far away right now. Only a combination of God's enabling, great effort and faith will bring it within reach. These goals are faithbuilding when accomplished, for they seem so impossible to achieve, but if He puts the dream in your heart, and you keep your eyes on Him, your Guide, at all times, He can make the impossible, possible.

This year of 2010, goal-setting went a little differently than other years.  Instead of charging into the New Year with goals under my belt, I took the month of January to seek the Lord, pray and ask for more direction.  Here are some of the things I believe He said to me:

• A Deep relationship with Me is of Prime Importance: Deepen your relationship with Me by digging into My Word; Go Deeper
• Regain the discipline you've lost: Reclaim Lost Ground that you've given over to satan, and be an example of all you believe and preach
• Turn the other cheek and Forgive
• Have Faith to pray specifically and Ask Me for Big Dreams
• Step Out in faith and Don't Judge Your Success or Failure by what you can See
• Trust your loved ones with Me and PRAY fervently for them
• Get your eyes on ME and off others

Ideas/Goals I have that have come out of that are:

• Starting a Young Moms' Group where struggles can be shared, questions can be asked, burdens can be lifted, prayers can go up and masks come down.
• Changing my schedule and prioritizing better, with consistency maintained.
• Keeping a Prayer notebook, with recorded requests and answers.
• Witnessing and discipling more boldly, with spiritual antennae up for the Holy Spirit's direction, while leaving the results to God
• Spending the time necessary in the Word, prayer and memorization to have a close relationship with my Heavenly Father and to recognize His voice when He speaks.
• Not comparing "My Assignment from God" with anybody else's
• Believing that God will answer my prayers to be spiritually fruitful, skinny and published this year (I'm being really vulnerable here folks)--Stepping out in Faith and Dreaming Big Dreams for God's Glory (and willing to do my part in their accomplishment).

These Ideas/Goals have to be discussed with my husband, then, if ok'd, broken down into smaller bite-size chunks (something like quarters and 1st downs) which are measurable: weekly and monthly, smaller goals.

I'm thankful that Faith is not like Football, and it's not how many goals are made that's important, but knowing the Head Coach and running His plays. You can never lose being on His winning team!