Goals - One Day at a Time

Goals are not so easy to meet. We want them to challenge us and improve our lives, but boy do they get in the way when things get busy.

Here are a few tips to help you (and me) reach our goals by the end of 2012:

1. Be realistic. Don't set goals so lofty you need a miracle to reach them.

2. Be prayerful. Once you have goals in mind, take them before the Lord.

3. Be specific. Be sure to write down the specific steps needed to reach those goals.

4. Be committed. Research has shown that people who actually read over their goals on a daily basis are 80-90% more likely to reach them, so get into the habit of reading them over daily.

5. Be flexible. By February, most of us will have missed it on at least one goal. Don't throw them all away, instead ask the Lord to give you fresh resolve and start fresh that day. You still have many more months to be faithful to reaching your goals.

6. Reward yourself. As you meet goals consistently, reward yourself. Buy a book you've been pining for, or go for a peaceful walk with the Lord, basking in His creation. Pat yourself on the back because you did it with His help!

"And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it." Habakkuk 2:2

Together in 2011

The first week of 2011 has come and gone. Hopefully you are well on your way to being adjusted to the new schedule with school and work.

Many of you have taken the time to write down your goals for the new year. kudos! What about goals for your marriage? A good marriage isn't just happened upon, it is something that is worked at and nurtured. If you want a great date idea for January, take the time to sit down together and write out some goals for the two of you in 2011.

My husband and I are going out of town (on a Friday - Monday) in January to set our goals for the new year. We will spend a great deal of time talking together about our couples goals. Here are some I'm thinking of:

1) Go out on two dates per month together.

2) Pray together at least once per week.

3) Take communion together once per week.

4) Read our Bible study book together once per week.

5) Get away together (without the kids) twice this year.

These are just examples of goals you can set for your marriage. Be creative and let God lead you as you plan for a prosperous 2011.

Ecclesiastes 5:7a TLB "Dreaming instead of doing is foolishness."

Goals

Goals

This is what a basketball goal has always looked like to me. As an adult. As a teenager.


I remember watching friends compete to see who could reach the highest on the net, or even touch the rim. I was glad to be able to get my feet a few inches off the ground.

A few lucky guys could actually leap with a ball and dunk it. That goal always seemed so out of reach.


It would have been nice, when I was younger, to be able to jump and reach the rim. But really, it didn't matter then and it doesn't matter now. To be able to touch the goal was never a goal for me.

I think a goal must reach at least three criteria to be worthy of our efforts.

One, it must stretch us to be better people. A goal to clean up our speech, relate better to people, and read the Bible through in a year are such goals.

Two, it must require some serious effort. The work to achieve the goal is often as important and transforming as the goal itself.

Three, it must meet with God's approval. The things God approves are eternal in nature, so they really matter!

There is nothing wrong with being able to leap and touch a basketball rim. But, at 5' 10", I knew it wasn't a likely goal for me. It certainly isn't now.

But learning God's word, relating better to my wife and kids, and mentoring a fatherless ten-year old, now those goals stretch me, take serious effort, and pay eternal benefits. Those are three goals I'm working on this year.

How about you? What goals have you set that meet these three important criteria?

Warren Baldwin

Note: Thanks to Karli Photography for these great pictures.

Begin With The End

2009 is quickly coming to a close.  For me, I'm glad to end this difficult year and bring in new hope for a new and better 2010.  Regardless of whether your year was great or challenging, it is going to end in just a few days. 

Are you ready to reign in 2010?

Have you set any goals?

Setting goals is important to God.  He is a God of order and He set up the time and the seasons.  Why?  So there would be a time for everything under heaven, but more importantly, to establish order for us. 

Habakkuk 2:2-3 says, "And Jehovah answered me and said, 'Write the vision, and make it plain on the tablets, that he who reads it may run. For the vision is still for an appointed time, but it speaks to the end, and it does not lie. Though it lingers, wait for it; because it will surely come.'"

I love this verse!  It tells us that our goals (visions) are supposed to be focused on the END.  How cool!  We should be focussing on the end result, the end scenerio; and then we work it out (run with it) and we wait for it (for the appointed time). 

We need to set goals for our children, too.  What habits would you like to see changed by the end of 2010? Can you think of spiritual or practical goals for your children.  Lets say there are 12 things you want to change in your child or goals you want them to have.  Start by listing them and then write down the steps you can take to help them implement these changes over the next 12 months.  (Don't forget to review these goals often.) 

An example in my household would be:

My children have a bad habit of leaving their clothes on the floor.  We are implementing a very strict rule (Jan. 1!).  If there are clothes on the floor, they will lose all but 4 pairs of clothes.  Then, after a week of keeping them put away, they will earn back a few outfits. 

The above is one behavioral example.  There are many other goals you could set.  Let the Lord lead you.

Our children need to be taught by example, they deserve to have us help them by setting goals with the end in mind.  Remember to be patient, and to expect good results.  Make the goals and consequences plain to them, so there is no issue with communication. 

Make 2010 a victorious year.  Instead of allowing your lives to run you, set Godly goals and begin to run your own lives in a way that glorifies God - the God of order.

God bless you and your families as you bring in 2010!!