I have a complicated relationship with goal setting
I’ve always been a big dreamer with notebooks of ideas, changes I’ve wanted to make and things I want to accomplish. At the end of every year I used to find myself overwhelmed and stuck, not wanting to run ahead of the Lord, but bold enough to do anything He asked me to. I would sit in the tension of not planning TOO much, leaving no margin for Him to surprise me, and yet not planning ENOUGH only to find myself at the end of another year with barely anything to show for my time. I desperately wanted to be a good steward, but struggled to reconcile goal setting with my free spirit.
I have a complicated relationship with goal setting
I’ve always been a big dreamer with notebooks of ideas, changes I’ve wanted to make and things I want to accomplish. At the end of every year I used to find myself overwhelmed and stuck, not wanting to run ahead of the Lord, but bold enough to do anything He asked me to. I would sit in the tension of not planning TOO much, leaving no margin for Him to surprise me, and yet not planning ENOUGH only to find myself at the end of another year with barely anything to show for my time. I desperately wanted to be a good steward, but struggled to reconcile goal setting with my free spirit.
“So then, prepare your hearts and minds for action! Stay alert and fix your hope firmly on the marvelous grace that is coming to you. For when Jesus Christ is unveiled, a greater measure of grace will be released to you. As God’s obedient children, never again shape your lives by the desires that you followed when you didn’t know better. Instead, shape your lives to become like the Holy One who called you. For Scripture says: “You are to be holy, because I am holy.””
1 Peter 1:13-16 TPT
I eventually realized that I could be a Type B risk taking dreamer, still be a good steward of what God has entrusted me with AND leave room for Him to surprise me because our ultimate goal isn’t to accomplish things,
our goal is to be holy because He is holy
A simplified twist to goal setting.
Only two pages :: one page with ten prompts to help you Reflect on 2021 and one page with ten prompts to help you Refocus for 2022. Each prompt is accompanied with scripture to meditate and pray through. A prayer has been added to pray over 2019. Use them as your only source for goal setting OR use them to supplement what you already do. Either way they are a simple resource to pause and prepare for the next year in a way brings glory to the Lord for what he HAS done and what he WILL do.
gather your friends
Why not gather some friends, plan a dinner or even a one day retreat? Share with each other your Reflect and Refocus sheets, your dreams for 2019 and pray together for what the Lord might do.
Find your dream defenders. Be a dream defender.