Goal Setting

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And so, we come to the end of yet another year. And whether we like it or not, whether we want it to or not, time marches on. And marches on relentlessly.

So, as we head towards 31^st December, many are talking about reviewing the year that is winding down and setting new goals to prepare for the year ahead.

Are you caught up in it, too?

Goals are good because we all know that if we do not aim for anything, we will hit it every time. But what should our goals be?

• To get healthier?
• To stop yelling at the kids?
• To be more disciplined?

How about:

To take heed to the ministry which we have received in the Lord, that we may fulfill it?
(see Colossians 4:17)

Annual Review and Goal Setting

Many goal setting books/posts/articles tell us to first review the year and then set goals.

Take for example this Annual Review post by James Clear. He suggests these 3 questions one should ask as the year draws to an end:

1. What went well this year?
2. What didn’t go so well this year?
3. What did I learn?

These are good questions. After all, we want to keep doing what brought us good results and not keep doing what brought us pain and defeat, right? And it was in this same vein I wrote Preparing for the New Year last year.

A Missing Piece

But I also realise that there’s a piece that is missing. A very important piece.

GOD.

Oh sure, we include God in our goal setting but often only at the end of the goal planning session.

This was how it usually goes for me:

• review the year,
• think of how I want to improve me, and then,
• ask God to bless my goals.

Is it the same for you? We sort of do it without thinking, right? After all, our goals are usually good things, so…God should bless them, right?

However, how about this?

Instead of setting goals to improve what we think needs improving, how about we start by asking God what He would like us to focus on in the coming year, and then follow up with asking how we can fulfil this assignment?

Set Goals That Matter

We want to set goals that matter. Goals that help us fulfil our ministry in the Lord.

Now, there is nothing wrong in wanting to be healthier, kinder, disciplined, etc. But, if we only do that but miss the larger picture of fulfilling our assignment or ministry in the Lord, then we would be found disobedient.

Not Works for Salvation

Mind you, this has nothing to do with working for our salvation or earning brownie points from God. Salvation Is a gift from God which we receive in Faith.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV.

But Ephesians also tells us that we saved for good works, which He has prepared for us to do beforehand. (*)

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10, ESV.

Obedient and Faithful

So, as we set goals for the year ahead, we need to ask ourselves if we have been obedient and faithful in doing the good works the Lord has prepared for us to do.

If your answer is “yes”, great! May you continue to be faithful in what He has called you to do next year as well.

But if not, perhaps it is time to pause and ask some hard and honest questions. Such as:

Do we know what are the good works or assignments God has prepared for us to do?

If we do not know what our assignments are, then how are we to fulfil them? So the first step would be to seek the Lord’s face on this. And remember, the size of our assignments does not matter. What matters is our obedience and faithfulness.

If, however, you know what your assignment is and yet were not able to fulfil it, this would be a good time to set aside time to seek His face in order to line up (or re-align) to His will and purpose for the new year.

There is no condemnation. Let us instead repent and ask for guidance and direction for the year ahead. This way we will not end up in the same place this time next year.

Goal Setting

As we set goals for the year ahead, let us be reminded to set goals that matter, goals that bring us step-by-step, closer to fulfilling our assignments in the Lord.

Goal setting with God in the centre is very different from the world’s idea of goal setting, where is it almost always about me, me, me. It is all about what I should be doing and what I want and doing it all on my own strength.

Wouldn’t it be far better to focus on aligning ourselves to God, His Kingdom and purposes, and then setting goals that help us fulfil the assignments we need to fulfil?

It is always better to start with God than to do our thing and then ask God to bless it as mentioned above.

Now, there is nothing wrong in wanting to do all the things I listed above. They are all good things. But, if we only do that but miss fulfilling our ministry in the Lord, then our focus is off.

If We Say We Love Him

Some of you may be scratching your heads and wondering: since I am saved, and can’t earn God’s love, then why is it still important that I still have to do good works?

Because we want to be obedient.

Jesus said that if say that we love Him, we will obey what He says. (John 14:15). And when He asks us to do something and we ignore it, we are being disobedient, being only hearers of the word and not doers. (James 1:22).

Align Our Lives

Let us use the impetus of the start of a brand new year to align (or re-align) ourselves to God and fulfil the assignments He has given us. Let the other goals be sub-goals that support the main goal of fulfilling our assignments well, bringing glory to the Father.

Remember, the days are evil, we need to redeem the time we have on earth.

*For Moms of Littles

Please, please, please do not look at this as yet another item that you need to do. Instead, it is to remind you to go back to the Lord and ask Him what your assignment is in this season. Be clear and focused.

Different seasons have different assignments.

Perhaps this is the season where your assignment is to stay home and focus on the young ones who need lots of love and training, which cannot be rushed or farmed out. So set goals to help you perform this assignment well.

When I was in the trenches. I said “no” to many things out of the home. Because I knew that if I said “yes”, my ministry at home would suffer. Did I miss out on a lot of fun things? Yes. But it was only for a season. By God’s grace they do grow up and become more independent (if we have trained them well).

We often think of the time we spend with the little ones as wasted. But have you considered that God is using this time as a training period before He assigns you to something else or broadens the reach of your ministry?

If you are a mom of littles, I want to encourage you to wholeheartedly embrace this season of your life. The Ministry of Motherhood should never be underestimated. Don’t just pay lip service to it, own it!

Remember that as we minister to and teach them, we are being ministered to and taught as well. God is moulding us as we serve at home, living the hidden life that the world (and even the church) does not truly appreciate.

But God does.

Resources

Say To Archippus and Alignment Check

If you need help to know what your assignment is, may I recommend Say To Archippus and Alignment Check.

Say To Archippus explains why you need to be awakened, aligned and assigned to the Lord while Alignment Check is the practical handbook that helps you align yourself to God so that He can assign you for His glory.

Related Posts

Mid-Year Review
The Joy of An Unaccomplished Life
Preparing for the New Year
Setting Up Routines to Beat the Overwhelm
See Motherhood as a Ministry

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