Do you ever find yourself going through the motions of life
for months, even years, without any definitive goal except for survival? Is it just me? At the end of 2006, our son was born, and about
every 18 months since then we’ve welcomed another lovely addition to our
family. We’ve had a perpetual
toddler. Our mounds of laundry grow
larger each year, our bank account smaller.
Our goals have been to do the best we can with what we’ve been
given. However, this non-specific goal
left us near-defeated by the end of our long, busy days, facing the doom of
getting up the next morning to repeat it all over again. Life goes by so quickly that there are
moments that my husband and I look at each other in disbelief that we have all
these kids!
Now, I have accomplished much in life…before kids. I won awards, was always at the top of my
class, held down a job or two at a time, and somehow had time to serve
others. Perhaps I used all of my life’s
allotted energy in my earlier years?
Yes, energy levels and responsibility levels are different, but there’s
another difference. I used to set goals.
Before you stop reading and think great, just another post about New Year resolutions, that’s not
what I’m talking about. It just so
happens that at the end of the year, we start reflecting on the good and bad
and resolve to change all that went
wrong. I didn’t lose as much weight last
year as before, so I resolve to do it
this year. Nope. That’s just not enough
for me. I have to roadmap it.
The truth is that I have a responsibility to teach my little
guys and girl (eventually) to set goals for themselves. Proverbs 29:18 says “Without vision, a people
perish.” If we do not know where we’re
going, we’re never going to get there.
We can have the best intentions in the world, but they will remain
intentions unless there is a declaration (or resolution), a goal, a plan to
achieve that goal, and a time frame.
This is a goal formula I used to follow and it has been responsible for
some great success. Now, it’s time to
revive it and pass it on.
Family meeting time! Our
kids loved goal setting. Their resolve
was oozing out of their ears. I’m going
to play baseball everyday and be the best baseball player ever and play on the
Indians. Yes, my dear 4-year-old,
that’s a lofty one! I want to feed all the orphans in the world. Ah-my 6-year-old is a kindred spirit of
mine! We let them go on and on, enjoying
hearing the high hopes held in the heart of a child. Then we explained we’re going to roadmap our
goals and commit to a plan to get us there.
Silence. Silence, followed by a
change of goals. Suddenly, they became
more realistic.
Our boys are learning something about change. First, we have to be intentional about what
we want to change or improve. Second, we
must have a plan to accomplish those changes.
Third, accountability helps a lot.
It took awhile, but we listed and planned out our family and
individual goals for 2013. We listed
several and planned how we’ll get there.
We incorporated those wonderful high hopes into a list of things that
they want to accomplish eventually. Instead
of playing on the Indians this year, we tweaked our little guy’s goal to something
he can work on to get him there some day.
Instead of feeding all the orphans in the world this year, we talked
about what we could realistically do to make an impact in some kids lives.
One of my goals is to learn how to do everything without grumbling
or complaining. My plan includes
starting a gratitude journal and writing in it everyday. I am using prompts from Ann Voskamp’s “One
Thousand Gifts.” Every day I think
through her prompts and list what I’m thankful for. It’s amazing how practicing gratitude changes
our perception!
I’m excited about 2013.
I feel like a fog has lifted and survival is no longer our end
goal. While there are days (plenty of
them) when that’s all we can do, I want to run this race the best I can. It’s hard to run a race wisely when we can’t
see the finish line.
So, here’s to 2013!
Here’s to goal setting once again!
Here’s to the excitement of future success! Here’s to watching my family accomplish great
things through the grace of God!
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at
my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold
of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider
myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is
behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the
prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14
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