Before You Set Goals

Many of us are setting goals for the coming year. Whether we want to attain our heart's desire, or simply read more in the new year, it's very common to see hope and drive in our social media feed.

And I love it.

I love seeing my friends look forward with hope and excitement. In fact, growth/progression is one of our basic human needs, so you could say that creating goals and working toward them is a form of self-care.

But we often make one major mistake.

We as Christians are supposed to do things differently than the rest of the world, yet we often follow worldly advice. There is nothing wrong with Christians setting goals, as long as they are set in the correct way.

Before we ever begin building our vision, creating our dream life/business, before we map out our desires and smart goals and milestones, we have to do one thing first.

We have to get into the Word of God and see what HIS goals are for us.

When we become children of God, we receive the Holy Spirit, which works to prune and grow us to be more like Jesus. We are also tasked with the mission of telling others about Him. God has already created this vision and this purpose for His children. Including you and me. 

Every one of us will live out this goal and purpose in a different way, because we've been given unique personalities, different gifts, and experiences in life. But no matter what, if our personal goals don't line up with God's plan, we will face what I call the hamster wheel of frustration. We'll run and run and run and never see growth or advancement.

By setting goals and asking God to join us, we miss the point entirely. We want to go where God is working and ask Him to show us how to join Him there. Pray that God will lead you in setting goals that put you in the midst of His plan to fulfill your mission of telling others about Jesus and bringing glory to God. I promise that when we work God's plan instead of our own, it's a much more rewarding experience!

As much as I love goals and goal setting, I am challenging my friends to make prayer and time with the Lord a bigger priority in 2023. Instead of vision boards or goal boards, let’s make prayer boards instead! You can get access to a free template at grow.catsharp.com/prayerboard