“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?”  Luke 14:28-31, TLB

“There are two types of people in this world – ones who work towards what they want and those who work to avoid what they don’t want. Most unsuccessful people in this world never focus on what they want. Instead, they spend their whole life trying to dodge situations they don’t want. They spend all their time and energy not wanting to be rejected, not wanting to be broke, or not wanting to have bad things happen to them.” — K. Akhter, Goal Setting

I think the Christian life is about freedom in Christ to pursue, dream and aspire to something beyond the ordinary, something our souls hunger for and what our hearts long to experience endlessly. We get whiffs of this pleasure from time to time when we experience profound beauty, transforming music or healing love to such a degree that it creates a permanent memory. No amount of money, power, or privilege can command it.

Of course there is always the alternative path to pursue. Perhaps if we acquire more, control more, or exclude more then we just might, or so we are deluded into believe, avoid the pain that comes from being vulnerable. We can escape fear, but not forever. Let’s face it we’re all vulnerable, we’re all fragile human facing the inevitability of old age and death. We can put that reality on the back burn, but only for so long. Like Johnny Cash once sang “I can hear that train a comin’”‘.

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”  –C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain (New York: HarperCollins, 1940/1996), 91.

Setting goals is like looking at a map before you travel. Sure you may make some detours, but you know the lay of the land, east from west and trouble spots to avoid. It is only a map for the traveller to use and change at will. But it is a necessary starting point for everyone who want to go somewhere. Do you?

Setting Biblical Goals…

(1) Ask God – There all kinds of images about people climbing a mountain to seek the advice of some sort of guru as a source of all wisdom. But when God is available 24/7, we try to go solo. Start by quieting you heart and mind, silence the monkey-mind of distractions, open yourself to Spirit of God and ask “why am I here?” Take a breath and pray for guidance. ”Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”   Proverbs 16:3

(2) Know Thyself – what are your gifts, passions and talents that come alive when you are using them. Where would you like to be in 3 years in your Health, Mind, and your Spiritual development. Assess the NOW and challenge yourself to go farther than you are know. How will you get there? Seek the advice of good friends for help. This isn’t the time to pretend you don’t need advice. We all do, so get REAL.

I recommend writing down over 100 goals. Sounds strange, I know, but you will get the easy ones out first and then push into a realm you don’t normally go. Goals that really speak to your heart and soul. Goals that really reflect the true you. Avoid at all cost the temptation to be Realistic. Don’t evaluate their plausibility only that you would love to do if time and money were no object. Get started and HAVE FUN!

(3) Altruistic - there must be part of your life that is connected to others. If you work on your body shape only to garner the praise of others, if you desire to earn a degree simply to wave under the nose of family and friends, or if you want to read the Bible so as to look down from your lofty perch, then please STOP now. The greatest good you can achieve in life will come when your life is spent giving it completely to a noble cause.