Goal #1 - Deeper Relationship with Christ

Naturally, this is a great goal for anyone to have, but this goal is a biggie for me!  I have to admit that I struggle to make Christ first when it comes to spending time with him. God really pressed it on my heart this past year in three very specific ways:

 

1. Being challenged in my faith by other Christian's views that are different than mine.

2. Finding myself repeatedly failing in having a quality quiet time.

3. Feeling like I was going through the motions with good intentions, but not getting anywhere.

 

 

So, it has been my goal to truly seek the Lord.  After all, in His word He promises that when we search for Him with all our heart, we will find Him.  (Jeremiah 29:13)  This goal is more difficult to specify because there is no specific formula for having a relationship with Christ.

 

 

But if I ask myself the 5 tips I shared in my last blog, here are the answers...

 

 

1. Does it follow God's priorities?  Yes, God should always be number one, first in all I do.   Too many times I allow the busyness of life to become my idol by pulling me away from my commitment to the Lord.

 

2. Is it a reasonable goal to accomplish with my strengths and weaknesses?

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13.  This goal pushes me and I am learning to develop ways to overcome my weaknesses and laziness.  One way is a little "quote" from Jesus that I have written and posted in my bedroom in my quiet time space.  It says, "I am looking forward to our time together" ~Jesus.  I posted this quote to remind me that not only should I be looking forward to my time with my Savior, but that He is also looking forward to spending time with me.

 

3. How will accomplishing this goal enhance the lives of those around me?  Whenever I am centered on Christ, my behavior and attitudes are so much more loving, forgiving, and accepting than when I have been centered on myself.  I am working on how to work my busy life in with the time I am spending with God...it isn't like I have spare time just hanging around, so I do have to make sacrifices of my time, and most often I am either sacrificing sleep or time playing computer games.

 

4. What support do I have in accomplishing this goal?  When I was sharing with my husband my struggle to make time for God and my desire to have a special place to meet with God, it was his suggestion to make a change in the way our bedroom was arranged to accommodate my secretary desk.  My desk in the corner with my lighthouse lamp, journal, devotion books, and bible have become my own little sanctuary.  My hubby doesn't judge me or ask me how much time I have spent with God, but he is flexible when I tell him I am going to spend time with God and doesn't make demands on my time.  Here's a quick pic of my Quiet Time space!

 

 

5. What is my specific plan of action?  This part is a little more tricky to narrow down.  I have to remain flexible, because I have found that if I create a routine for myself, it becomes more of a ritual than a relationship.  Prayer is important.  Reading my bible is important.  Listening to worship music helps.  Using my concordance and devotion books help guide me.  I am careful to avoid falling into a ritual and have been seeking the Lord's guidance in how to not just go through the motions.  Some days my mind is just so full of my mental 'to do' list or the stress of the day, that I journal about those things first before I can turn my attention to the Lord.  I am considering getting a small CD player and some more worship CDs because I am missing my worship time.  I haven't been singing like I used to and something about singing rather than just listening makes worship so much more personal!


5 Tips to Setting Attainable Goals

Has the arrival of 2014 motivated you to make a change to your life?  Are you feeling discouraged or are you still excited about the potential?  Here are some quick tips that I have followed to make my goals realistic and attainable!

My history in making "resolutions" has always ended in failure.  I dream up these big goals of what I would ideally love my life to look like and of course, never go much farther than those dreams.  This year however, I didn't go that route.  I used the following five principals as I debated how seriously I was going to "resolve" to make changes in my life this year. 

1.  Does it go along with God's priorities for my life?

One of my favorite books I've read as a woman of faith is A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George.  In it she gives a general outline how God desires our priorities to be:

*God
*Husband
*Children
*Home
*Myself
*Ministry
*Other Activities -your career is included here!

Think about the goals you have made or are contemplating for your life.  Have you spent time in prayer about them? Do they match up with God's plan for you?  Do you think you can place the proper emphasis on accomplishing your goals without changing God's priorities for your life?

2.  Is my goal something I can reasonably accomplish given my strengths and weaknesses?

Are you imagining your weight loss goal with you ending up as thin as you were in high school?  Realistically consider what you are likely to accomplish given your unique strengths and weaknesses in dealing with temptation, discouragement, and mistakes.  I had always imagined getting back to my high school sized self, but realistically, back in high school I was involved in sports year-round and very active.  Now, 15 years and two children later, my body shape has changed and I am not nearly as active.

3.  Is my goal one that will enhance the lives of those around me?

Will getting that degree or starting that at-home business help or hinder your family?  What type of time and attention are you able to commit apart from your other priorities without your goal becoming detrimental to life at home?

4. Do you have others around you who will support and encourage you when the going gets tough?

Does your husband support your goals?  Do you have friends or co-workers who will help you be accountable in your journey?  My co-worker and I share the same goal of desiring to be a little healthier and to lose some weight.  We help each other make better choices during the work week even though we have different ways we are working to accomplish our goals.  If you are alone in accomplishing your goal, set up motivational smaller goals to reward yourself as you strive for your ultimate goal.

5. Last but not least, can you narrow your goal down to a specific plan of action that you can follow the majority of the time?

I know that I have a very hard time eliminating foods I love from my diet.  I also do not like to exercise unless it is fun for me.  I have narrowed my goal to lose weight down to a goal of eating healthier foods, consuming less sugar, eating smaller portions, and drinking more water. I have also resolved in my goal of losing some weight to choose to be active more than I have this past year.

So, if you are wondering what my goals for this year are...here they be!

1.  Deepen my walk with Christ...seeking Him and following His leading in my life.
2.  Get healthier, lose the 7 pounds I gained last year.
3. Spend more time WITH my family (being mentally and physically present).
4.  Organize/De-clutter my home, especially my multipurpose room.

I will be sharing more about my personal goals and how these five principles apply to them in my future blogs!