hope

Setting goals looks very different for each one of us. Igniting ferocity to seek God and centering our minds on Him, can change our perspective on setting goals.

“My New Year’s resolution is…”

Everyone is saying it. I loathe this saying. This probably comes from a place of inability to set goals. I often feel like “goals” place me in a box. I understand the importance of setting goals and seeing them through, but I also understand that life is life. Goals don’t always work out quite like we think they should, so why bother?

Worldly Perspective

I am sure your social media is buzzing with fad diets and burst workouts, pushing you to succeed in losing some fluffiness you gained over the holidays. Ads on day planners, bullet journals, meditation routines; OH MY! You can’t escape the optimistic posts supplied by all your friends’ new found love for being life coaches.

Please, do not get me wrong. I completely understand (and practice) the importance of planning. I see how fun it can be to check things off a list and watch a scale drop numbers. However, the over all feeling inside is failure and guilt. This resolution thing was a “following the masses” decision. For social’s sake, we’ve gone and done it… we’ve made a beginning of the year promise to change, like we’ve done year in and year out.

Personal Perspective

Okay, okay. I might just be speaking for myself. I should probably just speak for myself. What’s the percentage of pessimists in the world? I’ll speak for us. But seriously, I can’t be the only one that feels this way. I want to know what makes us roll our eyes. Not only that, why is it so difficult to succeed? It has to be that our hearts aren’t in it, right? Maybe we just lack the focus and optimism?

A friend and I were chatting about goal setting and how it’s extremely important in her life. My perspective is different and I wondered how I could gain her enthusiasm for setting my eyes to the future. She offered up some advice… change the word “~~goal~~” to “wish” or “dream”. The free spirit side of me rejoiced. Seriously, much rejoicing.

A new line of thinking. That has to be the answer.

Failing Perspective

It is helping, but over all I still feel leery of setting “wishes”. Maybe instead of a pessimist, I’m a realist. Realistically, I understand that life has a mind of it’s own. I know that the year will, without a doubt, bring a hurdle or obstacle. Thus, catching my dreams ablaze. Okay, I’m a pessimist.

I often worry that my dreams are not what the Lord has called for my life. I worry that I’m not seeking Him enough to even know that I’m heading toward the correct wish. So, here I go, thinking ahead on something that hasn’t happened and may never happened. I focus on my future failure instead of God’s success.

This comes from a place of past failure. I’ve had complete and utter failures in my life. They all stemmed from wishes that weren’t meant for me yet. I ran after them, centered my thoughts around them. Centered my life around them. I fell flat on my face. I lacked a heart to follow God’s desires for my life. Lacked trust in His plan.

Spiritual Perspective

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:11-13, NIV

Yes. That is the usual scripture that goes along with this subject matter…but nothing about this scripture is cliche to me. In fact, the later part of scripture is often left out. God of the entire universe (omnisciencent, omnipotent, omnipresent) listens to us. He is the fabric of everything we know and don’t know. The vastness of this existence, is held in God’s mighty hands. Yet, He bends down to listen to our hearts.

“…Am I not a God near at hand” God’s Decree. “and not a God far off? Can anyone hide out in a corner where I can’t see him?” God’s Decree. “Am I not present everywhere, whether seen or unseen?” God’s Decree.

Jeremiah 23:17-18, MSG

Pause from reading and really let that sink in.

When we seek our mighty God with ferocity, our ways align with His. His hopes are our hopes. When we center our whole being on God, we can’t get enough of learning Him; His commands, His character, His wisdom. Suddenly, our “goals” fade away and there is only God.

… teach me your ways [God] so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.

Exodus 33:13, NIV

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.

Psalm 24:4

I’m joining in. The resounding chorus is flowing from my tongue…

My New Year’s resolution is to seek after God. Wholeheartedly, unconditionally, and passionately learning His heart!

Will you join with me?

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I focus on my future failure instead of God's success. Click To Tweet

Matthew Bedford

Are you ready to seek God’s truth?

but God… Where the Story Changes, a six-week study on replacing lies with God’s truth. This study can be done on your own, with a friend, or with a group.

“Santa, Santa! Do your reindeer really fly!!” This was coming from my 4 year old as he anxiously awaited to see Ol’ Saint Nick.

“But how?” And, “How old are you?” This from my almost 8 year old. He has also written Santa a letter. Complete with the address of “The North Poll.”

I am dreading the moment when he finds out this whole Santa thing is a sham. My hubby and I discussed that maybe we should tell him. I just can’t do it. I don’t want to. I’ve already shattered the Tooth Fairy lie, and that was traumatic enough (click the link if you want a good laugh).

My sister also advised against it. She told her oldest son, now 18 years old, when he was the same age as my son now. She told me that it was a bad mommy moment and she would give anything to take it back. The look on his face broke her heart.

I almost blew it. He was asking me questions about Saint Nicholas. The real one. So I thought I would get a book from the library. Brilliant thinking, right? Nope. Thankfully I told him that he was not allowed to read it without me because I wanted to read it too. I quickly had to stop reading it to him. It flat out said, “We all remember when we found out Santa Claus wasn’t real…” Yikes! I barely dodged that bullet. Or did I? Was he reading ahead while he was sitting next to me?

Since then he seems to be asking more questions. Trying to figure it out. Trying to catch Santa in a lie. Going all out to either make himself believe or to see if we will stop him.

It’s good to believe in something and to believe that Someone is looking out for us. We need to live with a hope and an expectation that something wonderful is going to happen. We long to have our wishes granted. We look forward to life being simpler. We want good things to happen to good people. We want gifts to be given with nothing expected in return. It’s called hope.

Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

I hope for a world where there are no wars, no refugees, no murder. I hope for peace, and love, and kindness.

Sometimes I simply hope to have hope.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18

My hope is not in politicians. It is not in laws. Not even in non-profit organizations. My hope is in heaven with the real Saint Nicholas. My hope is in The Lord.

Hope is a beautiful thing.

Do your children still believe in Santa Claus? How did they find out he wasn’t really the one leaving gifts? What are you hoping for?

Perspective: Resolving to Center Our Minds and Goals On God