G.O.A.L. Check

During the last two months of 2020 I began thinking ahead to 2021 and what goals I wanted to set for the new calendar year.

As usual my list was far longer than I could realistically achieve in a year. As I looked over my list working to whittle it down to something manageable and achievable I noticed that most of my list was task-oriented items. Don’t get me wrong – having these types of goals is a good thing, but as I sat and looked at it my spirit became saddened. There was little on this list of eternal value.

My heart sank and that is when the Lord gave me a new acronym for the word GOAL. I needed to change my perspective and make my G.O.A.L. a God Ordered Adjustment List. I needed to make some adjustments to my life to steer away from my workaholic mentality to focus more on what God would desire me to spend my time on.

My priorities needed to change to line up with what God’s priorities for my life are. When I look at it from that perspective it matters little if I get that dining room table refinished and more that I go visit a friend who just needs a shoulder to lean on and someone to listen. It means more that when the Lord is nudging me to spend more time with him that I actually stop and spend time with Him instead of saying, “Ok Lord, but let me finish this project first, then I will spend time with you.” It is making sure that I remain flexible in my daily plans to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  It is putting a higher priority on people than projects.

This may sound like an easy task, but when you come for a lifetime of wrong thinking that needs to be corrected, like me, it is not something you can do in your own will. Much of my life I was raised in the belief that my value was attached to my accomplishments. There was a lot of focus put on how much got done in a day, the excellence of the work you produced, and of course lots of praise when you got a lot done without sacrificing excellence in the quality.

So, my goals this year are to simply adjust the things in my life that God points out are out of order on my priority list. I know that I can only accomplish this through God’s grace and the daily renewing of my mind – to put first priority on the eternal things and not be so worried over the temporal things.

When it comes to the renewing of the mind and thinking more like Jesus thinks, I think the Passion Translation states it beautifully, “Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.” Romans 12:2
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Reform my thinking Lord, so that I think more like you! May my life be satisfying and perfect in Your eyes. Amen.

Copyright 2021 Christine L. Edwards