Make Life Exciting with God-Given Goals a Genuine Focus  

Some women set New Year's resolutions every January 1st, while others set goals. Some do it at the end of the year in preparation for the new year, while others choose to set goals throughout the year. Many create quarterly objectives.

It is a familiar experience for many of us to feel our initial enthusiasm for our goals fade over time. This is a shared struggle, not unique to any one of us. Regardless of gender, we all find it challenging to sustain our resolutions or goals.

Does no one want positive change in their lives? 

Of course. Our deep desire for positive transformation in our lives is a common thread that binds us. The issue is not a lack of desire, but often the need for enhanced diligence and commitment.

Often, what is needed is a boost in our diligence, a quality we all possess and can enhance.

Is this not also true of our very faith in Christ? 

If women are not diligent in keeping our eyes on Jesus, we easily grow tired of doing the right thing and fall back into our old ways.

     When we stop making prayer a part of our days…

     When we let dust gather on our Bible…

     When we make getting that extra sleep more important than getting up for church…

…how quickly we find it more challenging to make good choices! 

How easy is it for us to focus on our day-in and day-out routines, letting our eternities grow fuzzy?

Ouch. Does that resonate with anyone?

Scripture overflows with reminders about keeping our eyes on Christ Jesus.

"Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)" Hebrews 10:23 KJV

In Hebrews, the Apostle Paul describes people from the Bible who had to pursue goals every day without being able to see them. These people ran their races with no visible finish line in sight.

Paul tells us…

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2 KJV

These verses encourage us to hold tight to Christ Jesus so that we will not stray far from our faith and grow weak spiritually.

Below are some questions you are encouraged to take a few minutes to reflect on. Grab your journal. Jot down your thoughts and feelings. 

How do you feel about the direction of your life and where you are headed?

Lives are not lived one life at a time but one moment at a time.

• Have you ever stopped to think about where you are going with your life?
• What are your goals, plans, and calling in this season?
• What are you currently doing to bring you closer to that calling?

"When you set goals, something inside of you starts saying, 'Let's go, let's go,'" and ceilings start to move up." - Zig Ziglar

 

A goal is only a goal once you have a plan!

Have you created a plan to accomplish your most important goals? If not, now is a great time to begin.

A goal is only a goal if you are actively working toward reaching it!

How many tangible, measurable steps have you taken toward making the goal your reality? And how many self-sabotaging steps have you taken that made your goal harder to reach?

Everything you do in life does one of three things…

1. moves you closer to your goal
2. takes you farther away from your goal
3. leaves you right where you are at

We do not become who we want to be through grand decisions, but by our daily actions.  These seemingly small actions are the building blocks of our transformation. They are within our control and can lead to significant growth.

"We can choose to win and transform our lives one simple choice at a time!" – Tom Ziglar (my coach and mentor)

We do not wake up acting just like Jesus one day, do we?

No, but day by day, we slowly but surely act more like Him:

• We are nice to the check-out lady who takes too much time with our groceries.
• We left a nice tip for the server with worn-out shoes, even though he never brought the refill we requested.
• We faithfully volunteer for the nursery even though we would rather be a greeter on any given Sunday.
• We give our vacation money to the church building fund.
• We bite our tongues when our husband criticizes our sticky rice.
• We listen attentively as our six-year-old talks about her 'best' day for the third time.
• We keep our mouths shut about our frustration with our boss and everyone but God.

These and a thousand other daily actions over time reflect the changes that are taking place internally.

Are these little changes simple to make? Of course not! Even little changes involve some frustrations for everyone.

Pain is usually the result of internal dialog. When we are used to letting our flesh rule in an area, it just plain does not like it when we expect it to change.

For example,  When you make up your mind that you are going to get a raise at work this year.  You decide to start getting to work early and always offer to stay late when needed.  You will always do a little more than is expected and make an impact with your boss.  You will prove once and for all that you deserve a promotion.

Only getting to work early means getting up earlier—and your body does not want to get up fifteen minutes earlier. Staying late requires missing your favorite HGTV show. Doing more than is expected requires giving up time with coworkers during downtime.

Your decision to make a big impact is great, but the little daily actions of following through will make it really happen. You have to do it even though it hurts.

Frustration is the result of external factors. Women may have their internal situations handled but encounter roadblocks over which we have no control.

Taking our career ambitions as an example again, we have decided to work harder than ever and make a profound impression on our boss—only our boss gets a promotion. That guy who does not like us just got our boss' old job. 

Will making the daily decisions be a little more difficult now? Absolutely. 

Any changes worth making offer a Season of Disillusionment for the woman attempting that change.

Think about it concerning any big goals that you have created.

You make goals with your eyes on the prize.

You tackle day one with that prize sharp in your mind.

You face the second day fairly well.

The third day goes just okay.

The next day is a challenge.

By day five… you now have a lot less of that prize and a lot more of how hard day four was on your mind.

And on day six, you are really losing steam.

On the seventh day, in the face of all this discomfort, you cannot even remember the prize and give up!

Sometimes, we get disillusioned because we need to see the immediate and dramatic results we dreamed of.

For instance, consider a difficult relationship that you might be dealing with.  Maybe it is your husband, and you have been arguing and nitpicking each other for months. So, you make up your mind that you are going to change. You will bite your tongue and say something nice no matter what.

You make it through the day one.

You make it through day two.

You make it through day three and pat yourself on the back after resisting any opportunity to snap back.

You make it through the day four.

You make it through day five. You are feeling pretty good about yourself, and you figure that he must have noticed that you have changed. But after supper, he says, 'What do you want? I know you must want something or would not act this sweet.'

This is the potential moment of Disillusionment.

You could get offended and then just stomp off. 

You could scowl at him and then provide no answer.

Or you could say, "Honey, I am glad you noticed. I have been trying to show you more respect and care. You are my husband, and I love you. Our relationship means everything to me."

Suppose you can only make changes when you get positive feedback from others.

In that case, you will never be the person God has called you to be because some of what God calls you to do won't be popular with women.

Some vital transformations must occur to stop the pattern of negative consequences you have grown used to– but never bring about any great rewards you could point out to someone else.

The most important transformations occur within your heart. Few people—like your husband or child— notice these changes.

Your life's most important goals are between you and God.  No one else knows about them or would know when the goal is reached.   

If you need greater feedback than what God offers, you will never do what it takes to be what He has called you to be.

God gave you life and appointed that life a set number of days. Only He knows how many of those days you have.   

You have a calling on this earth.

You have a higher purpose, and you must pause occasionally to ponder these questions:

• "Where am I going in my life?" 
• "Am I fulfilling the calling that God created me for?"

This is a great quote:

"Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire." - St. Catherine of Siena

To live a life falling short of your God-given potential gives us that feeling that something is missing.

But, I do not believe that we will face God and get a lecture on everything that we could have done and did not – no, we will see our true reflection in God's eyes.

And the only way to be all God created us is to see ourselves the way He does. 

We have to learn to see ourselves as overcomers instead of excuse-makers.

Women must find the courage to do the right thing because He affirms it, even when no one else does.

Imagine your life recorded in the annals of history like Moses, Abraham, and Paul. 

What will be written about your life?

• Will they tell your story as a daughter?
• Will they tell your story as a wife?
• Will they tell your story as a woman of prayer?
• Will they tell your story as a woman who gave it your all?
• Will they tell your story of a woman who led others?

Please use these thoughts as stepping stones, and stop and reflect on these questions, especially these last ones.

Grab your journal and Bible, set aside 30 minutes to get quiet, pray, and meditate on God's Word. He will guide you and help you see any areas for improvement.

Make Life Exciting with God-Given Goals a Genuine Focus!