Setting and reaching goals

Looking for some tips, I checked out two books from the library that are about de-cluttering my home. Actually, they are more about de-cluttering all of life. Each book is concerned with the attitudes that are behind saving stuff that you don’t use and keeping things that have no value. One of them divides this clutter into physical, mental and emotional spaces. The other aims at the clutter that happens in physical spaces, schedules and from bad habits. 
 

From these books, I’ve been challenged to figure out a word or two that describes what has been going on in my life that frustrates me, and a word or two for what describes I want in life from now on. The first one was easy; SPINNING MY WHEELS. 

As for the second part, I’m thinking in terms of biblical goals, but these are secular books. They have no suggestions like “wanting to do God’s will” or “being transformed” or “becoming like Jesus.” 

After reading a few chapters and giving this much thought, wanting to do God’s will is a given. Since I became a Christian, this has been behind everything, even the spinning of wheels. This has to remain as my theme for the second question too, but I wanted to add something that countered that spinning idea. My words should be more like, “focus” or “do the next thing” or even “avoid all distractions.” As I pondered those choices, God somehow managed to hit my thoughts with today’s devotional reading. The verse is right where my challenge words are coming from. 

Jesus is tired and hungry. He stops at a well and encounters a Samaritan woman. By the end of their conversation, this woman leaves her water bucket and runs into the city to tell everyone that she has found the Messiah. In the meantime, the disciples had gone for food and came back urging Jesus to eat. He told them He had food that they didn’t know about. They thought He meant bread, but…

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. (John 4:34)

When the de-clutter book asks for a theme or focus, they define it as something that fits who I am and what gives me the greatest sense of doing what I am meant to do. In other words, what feeds me? Why am I here? What is the work that God has given me? I already agree with Jesus who said, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” (John 6:38) 

The comment in the devotional is short and directly to the point. It is a quote from Phillips Brooks who said, “Seek your life’s nourishment in your life’s work.” 

Yes, double yes. Nothing is sadder or more frustrating than meaningless activity. I can tolerate it for a short time, and sometimes foolishly select it (like playing a computer game for an hour), yet even meaningless activities done well cannot compare to the satisfaction of doing that for which I am created. 

Yet few people can hang a description on their “life’s work” — never mind let that be their sole occupation. I still have to clean toilets and shop for groceries. For that reason, I don’t want to select a word or two for want I want in life that narrows my focus to the point that these chores fall off the list. Doing them would continue to make me feel like I am “wasting time” because those necessities were without value.

The woman who wrote this book hasn’t mentioned the daily necessities, but I don’t think she or Jesus intends that anyone skip them because they are not part of a person’s life purpose. Instead of a to-do list, this concept is more about an attitude. The book wants me to pick something that I can focus on, that will help me avoid the space and any time wasting that leave me frustrated. The Bible wants me to continually listen to the voice of God and do whatever He tells me, without hesitation, procrastination, or those “yes, but” arguments. 

For that reason, I’ve picked a combo of a commercial motto and the words of a wise woman: JUST DO THE NEXT THING. This replaces “just do it” — which has no definition, and “do the next thing” — which still leaves room for procrastination.

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Lord, as I think about the way You lived, this theme seems to fit it also. You always did whatever God put in front of You, without hesitation, but also without distraction. You were able to focus, even knowing if an interruption was heaven-sent or nothing more than a deterrent that kept You from the will of God. I’ve made the lists suggested in the book. Now I rely on You to guide me. Help me know the next thing that will move me forward to the immediate goal of ridding my life of the unnecessary — and the ultimate goal of becoming more like You.

Climbing higher . . .

Someone once said to me that it must be easier to be a Christian as I get older. My first impulse was to give him a swat on the side of the head, proving that I still have some growing to do!

There is no coasting in the Christian life and there also is no retirement. God sets before me a goal. I am to press on toward that goal. If I stop, I am in a state of disobedience.

This morning I was wondering about fatigue and feeling listless. The word retirement may have come to mind. “Tired” definitely did. Spurgeon’s devotional didn’t address my lethargy, but Oswald Chambers (My Utmost for His Highest) hit the bull’s eye. He used this verse to tell me what I already knew:

And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:4)

God’s Word says the same thing in other places. The goal is perfection, fully like Jesus Christ. I know I am not there yet.

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. (Colossians 1:28)

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

Chambers says that I can be all right in general but careless, even unkept or slovenly in some areas. He says this isn’t so much about sin as it is about “the remnants of the carnal life” adding that such slovenliness is an insult to the Holy Spirit. I don’t agree about this not being sin, but do agree that a lax attitude is an insult to God.

Nothing should be done in a careless way, whether it is eating and drinking, or how I worship God. My relationship to Him must be right, but also the external expression of that relationship. For instance, I’ve noticed how easy it is for God’s people to bring to the church items that they have replaced at home. Old sofas or outdated decor is offered to God. Is this one example of a slovenly and carnal expression of worship? Doesn’t He deserve the best that we have?

What about my attitude when I woke up this morning? I wanted to stay in bed, felt grumpy, and had little joy in my heart or any desire to get up and prepare for church. If I stay this way and go anyway, is this not another example of a carnal way of worship?

Chambers says, and I agree, that God will let nothing escape. Every detail of my life is under His scrutiny. If I do not learn how to be like Jesus in one area, He will bring me back to the same point over and over again until I learn the lesson. He has a goal for me and will not stop until the finished product rolls off the assembly line.

Those carnal areas show up in old age. If I like personal comfort, that will come out when my bones ache in the morning. If I am lazy, that will show up at the end of the day when I turn on the television instead of finishing a chore He has given me. If I like to compete and win over others, it will show up every time someone cuts me off in traffic even though I am driving the speed limit.

Growing older does not put God’s people at the top of a playground slide. It is more like standing at the bottom of a multistory skyscraper and being handed a ladder. He sees many levels that I have yet to conquer. His desire for my perfection is not only picky, but relentless.

I love the days that God turns my heart toward the wonder of my redemption and salvation. Yesterday’s reminder of my eternal security was a deep blessing. I know that I stand complete in Christ and am accepted in the Beloved because of Him. Yet the Holy Spirit whispers again to me that I am still a work in progress and that I must let endurance work in me. I must watch out for that attitude that is content with mediocrity or that says “Oh, that will have to do for now.”

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God, forgive and cleanse the laxness from my heart. Your goal never changes. You tell me to be “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord my labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58) and “to not grow weary of doing good, for in due season I will reap, if I do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). You also say that “they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). I need all of this plus the fullness of Your Spirit to keep pressing on toward the goal.

Eagles and straight furrows

The boy was worried about being able to plow in a straight line. His father told him to pick a post or a tree at the far end of the field and aim for it. His furrow would be straight.

He laughed as he told the story many years later. He said, “I had such bad eyesight, and this was before my family could purchase eyeglasses for me. My furrow was terrible. I had no idea that the post I thought I was aiming for was a cow.”

My problem this morning is about goals too, only the one I have is fixed and firm not wandering about like a cow. My problem is fatigue and feeling like quitting. Days of hard work, not sleeping well last night, and being stuffed up from allergies had my head on my desk this morning asking the Lord to give me what I needed to hear today. This is what I read:

But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)

I first thought that this is for a slightly different problem. This person Jesus speaks to was hesitating about following Him, while I’ve already made that decision. However, I am looking back in a sense; I want to ease up, stop plowing. Making furrows, straight or wavy, is labor intensive and like the disciples who went back to their fishing after Jesus died, I feel like going back to the easy stuff before Christ got me into this.

Oh, I know I won’t do it. The sense of wanting to quit was worse one day this week, only that time it was spiritual war where the enemy was hard at it trying to convince me that I was useless. In the end, I simply had to ignore his thoughts and get to work. Today, my body is convincing me that I am just too tired and my head is not very clear.

The Holy Spirit reminds me of two verses, “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:30-31).

Eagles are incredible. I once watched them soaring over the Kenai river mouth in Alaska. One was being pestered by a raven. The raven flew at him, closer and closer. At one point the eagle seemed to convulse, curling up in what looked like pain. I thought the raven had injured it, but it wasn’t the eagle that was injured. Its talons hit their mark and the raven dropped from the sky.

The memory of it plus these verses encourage me that God has strength for me that I have not yet experienced. I’m tired and sleep will help, but waiting on Him is not about having a nap. It is about having a confident expectation that He will take care of both my physical and spiritual fatigue. It is about keeping my eye on Him, tired or not, and making a straight line toward my immovable and firm goal.

These verses are more than enough, yet the first lines of today’s reading tell me that God isn’t interested in my complaining either. They say, “I have never met a successful, influential person in any realm of enterprise who was not committed to reaching goals. The people who influence the world are pursuers, competitors, and winners, preoccupied with goals rather than having their own needs met.”

Sleep will happen at the right time, but for this morning I need to press on.

Waiting as I Run

Most pastors take Monday as their day off, their day of rest. After years of teaching a Sunday Bible class, I understand why; I’m tired both physically and spiritually, and the enemy seems to hit harder that day. Besides, Sunday often serves up an emotional high. If I don’t take a bit of time to come down, I will crash down. For those reasons, Monday is the logical day to wait on the Lord and renew my strength.

It didn’t happen quite like that yesterday. I’ve an important presentation in less than three weeks and spent most of the afternoon working on it. This was mentally taxing, which added to the normal Monday fatigue. I was so tired last night that I feared sleep would not come, but thankfully it did. This morning, my devotional guide serves me an encouraging verse. Paul writes:

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)

The goal refers to the marker at the end of a race. Runners intently fix their eyes on this goal. To look one side or another, or worse, backwards, will slow them down, even cause them to stumble or fall. I need to keep my eyes on that goal, not on my current situation, not on my to-do list, not on next week’s meetings, or the even the presentation at the end of the month.

My goal is ultimately to be like Jesus Christ. In this life, I want to think, talk and act like Him. Sometimes it seems impossible. I fall far short. My legs get wobbly and I lose heart. My body wants to quit because I am exhausted. My spirit slumps and I’m tempted to look away from that ridiculously lofty goal and “get real” — aim for something that is more attainable.

However, this is God’s goal for me too. While I will not reach it in this life, it will happen. One day, when I cross that finish line, my marker will be standing there in plain sight. Then I will not only reach my goal, but also receive my prize.

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. (1 John 3:2).

The goal or marker I run toward is Jesus. The prize is my reward for victory. While the upward call speaks of my call from God to a complete salvation, and while this prize could refer to the rewards offered at the judgment seat of Christ, the ultimate reward is the Lord Himself, and that I will at last be like Him.

Note that Paul does not say that he is pressing on for the call of God but rather for the prize of that call. He is not working for his salvation but rather for a reward. He also says in 1 Corinthians 9:24, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.”

Run indeed. Don’t sit here. Press on. Don’t even think about complaining. That is not what Jesus would do, and because He lives in me, I don’t need to do it either.

Yet Jesus also took time away from the pressures and joys of ministry to be with His Father. When He was tired, He slept. When He needed a break, He went into the mountains to pray and be alone with God. Obviously, He knew this important truth:

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)

I’m encouraged by important progress made yesterday in my work on that presentation. I’m encouraged by these words to press on. However, I’m also encouraged by a good night of rest. I do have an awesome God and an awesome goal. He calls me to keep my eyes on Him; He is my future reward. Yet He also is my daily portion, the source of all I need to keep going. I need to keep plugged in, moving forward, and remembering that waiting is also a vital part of running.

Pressing on

One common recurring dream was trying to catch the school bus. But I was running in mud and my feet would not work. I kept dropping my books and the bus seemed to always be moving farther and farther into the distance.

I haven’t dreamed this slow-motion frustration for a long time, but remembered it this morning. I’m thinking about the spiritual race that I’m in, a race toward the goals that God has set for me. One of them is being free from what hinders me. As Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

The only way to be rid of those sins that ensnare me is to confess each one as God brings them to my attention. On this matter, I’ve noticed that if I natter on about anything after confessing it, if I say to myself things like, “Boy, am I ever stupid” or bemoan any angst about what I did, then my confession is somehow incomplete and the snare is still grabbing at me.

How do I know that? Because when confession is complete, the snare is gone. Case in point. Someone I knew years ago offended me on the day we met. She assumed I was just like her, didn’t consider that we had different personalities and interests, and talked to me as if my thoughts and motives were the same as hers. From that first meeting, the same thing happened nearly every time we were together. I felt like a nonperson, and even after years of never seeing her, I became annoyed whenever I thought about her.

This week, God asked me to deal with my attitude. Even though I hadn’t thought about her for years, He uncovered this snare and wanted me to get rid it. This wasn’t about what she did; she is oblivious and didn’t do it on purpose. He was more concerned about my responses, but it took me several hours to understand exactly what the snare was and what I was supposed to confess.

Back then, I was vulnerable about my own identity. As the Holy Spirit gave me light on what was going on, I realized the root of it was that I wasn’t relying on Him for my understanding of who I am. Instead, I let someone else trip me up by their assessment, a false assessment. As I confessed to Him my lack of trust, and all sinful thoughts and responses, all that anger and offense and tension vanished. No more snare. It was gone.

Snares are any weights that keep Christians from moving forward. Confession that gets to the root of them removes the snares. I am amazed. Now when I think about that person and the many things she said and did that hurt me, none of my pain, anger or annoyance come back. I suspect that things other people do and say will not affect me in the same way either.

I feel like a bird let out of a cage, yet God, bless Him, reminds me this morning that I cannot think that I have now arrived! Paul wrote,

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, 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, NIV)

Spiritual maturity is a goal that is always out there. Like a runner in a race, I know where the finish line is, but I also know that I’m not there yet. The Christian life is not a sprint but a marathon. I’ve leaped over many hurdles, stumbled many times, and in both, God is there to encourage and lift me higher, but I’m not at the finish line, yet.

Instead, He tells me to keep going. Don’t spend time or energy looking back at those places where I dropped in my tracks, or the places where He took me over a tall or wide jump. Instead, keep my eyes on the goal and press on.

The prize is not a reward for running the race. I am not earning or deserving it. Rather, it is the prize that God gives to all whom His Son has “taken hold of” and put into this marathon. We race toward being mature, toward being like Him. The prize is not heaven, which is more like the winner’s circle at the Kentucky Derby where the winner is recognized. Instead, the prize is perfection, spiritual maturity, being like Jesus.

My great reward is being complete in Him. He wants me to run toward that goal without past failures clutching at my feet or the pride of past successes keeping my eyes off the finish line. Part of that prize also is being able to run the race without that terrible sense that He is moving the goal farther and farther from me, or that I am running in mud and continually dropping my resources. This race is not a bad dream but a glorious reality, and I press on.

Mission Statement

Success seminars say everyone needs a mission statement. Formulating one is difficult because it needs to answer big questions such as: What is my purpose? Why am I here? What am I supposed to be doing?

The reason behind having a mission or purpose statement is something like, “Aiming for the stars and hitting the woodpile is better than aiming for the woodpile and hitting your foot.” Everyone needs a goal. If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.

Christians do well to think also about goals and our purpose for being here. After attending several seminary classes that told me I needed a mission statement, I began working on it. Part of my reasoning is that Jesus often declared His purpose, and since I’m following Him, I need to do the same. In one of His declarations He says, “. . . for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)

Forming a mission statement must answer that big question of why am I here, but also consider my skills, abilities, opportunities and experiences. It asks where do I go from here, and how will I get there. Also, I need to understand God’s purpose for giving me new life; what does He want done with it?

Jesus had all this covered. John 13:3-5 says, “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.”

Jesus knew that God gave Him that goal to seek and save the lost, but also knew that His Father supplies all resources needed to reach that goal. Jesus knew where He came from and where He was going. Armed with this “mission,” He could serve others toward that end. Washing the disciples’ feet was part of the teaching process that prepared these men for their mission.

At first, my mission statement outlined things I thought I should do. Too broad. Then I began formulating it around my spiritual gifts. Too narrow. I also noticed that using it to determine what I should be doing next produced some major conflicts. The needs at hand didn’t always fit the formula in my statement. Finally, I came up with this one (with thanks to author, Angela Hunt): Love God and obey Him.

This mission statement works for several reasons. First, it requires me to focus on the Lord rather than any agenda, pressing needs, or whatever else is happening. When my mission is to love Him, then all relationship issues and priorities fall into place as well.

Of course the part about obeying Him means that I must pay attention. In each situation, He will direct my course of action if I ask Him. I must search for answers in His Word, listen to the quiet voice of His Spirit, and heed the advice and examples of godly people in my life. Otherwise, I will quickly slide away from this mission statement.

Today’s devotional reading tells of a mountain climbing expedition where the participants were told to take basic necessities only. One person ignored that and loaded up with extra stuff. As the climb progressed, he found he had to ditch the extras and wound up carrying only the basics.

This is what my mission statement does for me; it makes me stick to the basics. Life is so complicated and filled thousands of choices. Without any guidelines (and with my attention span), I could be all over the map, and some days I am. However, this mission statement to love and obey God keeps pulling me back to those basics. Life has become simpler in many ways, yet having this as my mission does not make it narrow. God always has plans and directions for me that I otherwise would never have imagined by myself, and following Him makes my life a grand adventure.

A Sweet Goal

Attending seminary at my age was an oddity for the other students. Most of them were young enough to be my children, maybe even grandchildren, but they accepted me. One day one of them expressed his curiosity why I was in school. He asked me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

My response is that I want to be a sweet little old lady. I’ve written about this before, and how my brother, when I told him, teased me with, “You better get working on it.”

My mental picture of a sweet little old lady is a composite of several women. One is Irene, my first mentor. She was a blessing and encouragement to everyone, no matter what was happening in her own life. Even when her husband died, she comforted everyone else.

Another is Agnes. She had Lou Gehrig’s disease and showed me how to die with grace and a loving attitude toward all who helplessly watched her decline. A third is a missionary woman who scads of children and a long career, but also a perpetual cheery attitude. She told me that her secret for a sweet spirit was to be thankful all the time.

As I think about my goal today, the beginning two verses in 1 Peter add another facet to the jewel of becoming that person I envision. It says, “To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.”

I wrote in the margin of my Bible, “Chosen by the Father, set apart by the Spirit—to obey the Son.” Grace and peace are for those who are called, sanctified, and obedient.

Obedience. This is God’s goal or purpose for making me His child. He wants a sweet Spirit, a gracious attitude, joy and all that I think of as belonging to a pleasing person, but these things do not happen in the life of a stubborn, unthankful, resisting rebel. The good fruit of the Holy Spirit is for those who say yes to God.

My devotional reading for today suggests that many who come to Christ are greatly excited about being selected by God and given a place in His family. We love the fact of our redemption, forgiveness, and freedom from condemnation. We sing for joy that the blood of Christ has covered all our sin. We rejoice in that He has lifted our burden of guilt and set us on a new path.

But then we realize that this new path is also filled with commands that tell us to drop our old way of life and live for Him. No longer should we do whatever we wish, but our allegiance is to Jesus Christ who died for us, and we must do whatever He asks, whatever the cost.

The author of my devotional says that until that total obedience happens, “half of the sweetness and blessedness of real religion and of salvation by grace is not felt or known, nor the liberty of the gospel thoroughly realized or enjoyed, for the gospel must be obeyed and lived, as well as received and believed, that its full, liberating, sanctifying influences may be experienced, as sweetening the narrow and rugged path of doing and suffering the whole will of God.”

There is that “sweet” word. By this statement I’m aware that the sweetness I desire for my own personality and way of life comes from facing all the hard stuff of obedience and doing it. Also, as I follow Jesus Christ, my obedience must include trust in the Father who called me to this path and total reliance on the Holy Spirit who set me apart to walk it.

Sweetness does not come from a life of ease, as illustrated by the lives of my mentors and examples. Their sweetness came from walking with God, from drawing their resources from Him, from trusting Him, but mostly from doing what He says.