A Pathway for Goals by Lynn J Simpson

For a decade now, my friend, Marne, and I have been meeting at the closing of December to review the past year and make new goals for the upcoming year. She’s called me her “goal queen.” But this time, as I sipped peppermint tea, my goal notebook unopened on her office table, I found my stomach tensing whenever she uttered “goals.” I’d bristle like I’d just leaned against the needles of a cactus.

Maybe my resistance was due to the incompletions of last year’s goals.  Or maybe the tension was due to my resistance of letting go and letting God take the lead.

Feelings of frustration, disappointment, and discouragement immersed when I opened my goal notebook and reviewed what I set out to achieve in 2018. I’d come to the end of two years pushing into what I hoped would produce fruit. Instead I felt bewildered, lost in a wilderness of doubt instead of hope.

As I went to take another sip of tea, I paused and read the lines of script written on my cup.

“Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light.…” St. Francis of Assisi

Faith, hope and light.

Your word is a lamp to my feet
 And a light to my path. Psalm 119:

And I felt a God nudge to let go of all I understood and how I thought things should go--a God nudge to turn and prepare my heart for Him in the wilderness where He provides comfort, hope, and renewal.  

The prophet Isaiah spoke comfort to the people of Judah returning to their homeland and into the wilderness that was also their pathway back to God. “A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” Isaiah 40:3

Much later, John the Baptist preached hope and how to prepare the way for Jesus while he was in the wilderness of Judea. “This is he who was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ Matthew 3:3

And we are told of Jesus overcoming temptation by the devil in the wilderness. After 40 days of fasting, he resisted temptation by speaking out the promises of His Father. And then renewed. “Then the devil left him, and the angels came and attended him.” Matthew 4:11.

Whatever your writing (and other) goals this year, may you hold onto God’s promise that when you open your heart to Him and His ways, He will comfort you, give you hope, and renew you. And always straighten your pathways to bring you closer to Him.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Lynn J Simpson is also at Lynn J Simpson, Writing and Photography Blog

God's Goals - Check! by Glynis M Belec

One of the hardest things for me, when it comes to setting goals, is being realistic. Second on the tough scale is following through with them. Third is reviewing them.

It's not that I don't want to behave and do it all right and follow exactly my mindset as it was at the beginning of the year. But for some reason, my life isn't like that. I long, and sometimes (admittedly) I used to envy others who seemingly travel a straight and narrow path.

I've discovered, over the last while, God's goals and mine are not the same. Too often the unexpected creeps in and there go my plans. But I have given up bemoaning the fact that my plans don't always match God's and in that I find peace.

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.

Proverbs 16:9

I took a quick glance at my January covenant, though, because of this month's prompt about reviewing our writing goals. I was curious to see if I have managed to lasso even a few over the past eight months. Let's have a look.

I will write at least 500 words a day - CHECK

The writing 500 words a day has come to pass, so in that one I rejoice! I actually do a lot more than that on any given day if I get to count the writing I do on behalf of other writers for my Angel Hope Publishing company. And then there is the new paid blog gig I got two months ago and the regular monthly column I am writing in a local magazine. So I can safely say I might even be able to add another zero onto that number some days.

I will write in my journal every other night - BUSTED

 I am still sporadic at best. Sometimes I write every night in my journal. Then the wind blows a different way and I forget or go to bed too late, or need to gobble up one more chapter of that great novel before shut eye. I will work on that one. Ugh.

I will read a chapter from the Bible each night starting at Genesis - BUSTED

I'm starting to feel like some kind of a backsliding sinner. Seriously, I started out at Genesis - really. Then I found that devotional book (with scripture) on Hope and that took over. I read the Bible every morning, with my devotions. Does that count? But I really did want to make it through the entire Bible front to back. Jumping back in the saddle. In the beginning. . .

 I will bite my tongue when I want to lash out to prove how right I am - CHECK

Biting my tongue instead of spouting my so called 'my way or the highway' attitude has shown significant improvement. I find the more I choose silence as an option, the better it is. It's also improved my listening ability. Imagine that.

I will tell others more often that I love them and show it - CHECK

This was an easy goal to achieve. Lots of reasons for being thankful and loving lots. Lots of reasons this year to cling tighter and be breathless in expressing love for those near and dear. Lots of reasons to never ever forget how much Christ loved me and sacrificed it all. Least I can do is pay it forward with a few sincere words.

 I will get in touch with my new writer friends and offer some helpful tips, taking time to really listen without monopolizing the conversation - CHECK

Helping out writers has been an easy and fulfilling task this year. I love encouraging and helping scribes discover their God given gifts. One thing with this goal, - sometimes I have trouble finding the off switch to the detriment of my own work, but God is also teaching me a little bit about balance. Even Jesus had to get away sometime to breathe. I find that a tough act to follow - setting boundaries. But I'm trying.

The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.

Mark 6:30-32

And then there are all those other fabulous personal goals that sounded so achievable January 1st. Exercise. Weight loss. Saving money, Recycled promises.

Sometimes I flop. I try. But life happens and sometimes there are times I don't follow through with some of my goals even though I really, really want to. I've dealt with guilt and shame because of my failures but then, God whispers and tells me I'm being too hard on myself. He reminds me that when I'm on a personal mission and include Him, I've got the right focus and the prize is near.

Not to mention. God Goals far surpass Glynis Goals, anyway. 

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.(CHECK!)

Philippians 3:14