James 4:13-16
Goal setting isn’t something that we are naturally inclined to do, it’s something that we learn and grow to do. It is harder for some than others to set goals probably because of fear of not following through. The most common time to set goals is the beginning of a new year, and most times we fail before we can get started. Are you a goal setter, or do you just take things as they come? You may wonder why goal setting is important, and especially within marriage.
A goal is an aim or objective; an intention. I know that we all have goals, but are we seeing these goals through to the end? I will be the first to admit that setting goals has not always been at the top of my priority list. You see, I am the individual that likes to take things as they come; whenever and whatever happens, it happens. I would never plan out my course of action. For so long, I couldn’t understand why I never felt a sense of accomplishment. Well, it wasn’t until I got married that I realized the importance of not only setting goals for myself, but for my marriage as well. I was at the place of self healing, and part of that healing was discovering who I was, and what I wanted out of life. I began to pray about this and prayer led me to write out my desires in every aspect of my life. I started to categorize what I wanted in the areas of my personal life, spiritual life, financial life, and marital life. As I was writing, it surprised me to see that I had my marital life listed. I wrote down how I would accomplish these things and I put a time frame on doing so. I had set goals! I shared with my husband what I was doing, and suggested that he does the same. He was open to giving it a try. We had a lengthy discussion about our marital goals, and decided to divide them into long and short term goals. We always knew that we wanted to become home owners, and extend our family but we didn’t have a game plan for doing so. We found that there was more on the list than we expected. We realized the importance of inviting God into the equation to accomplish these goals. We had a plan, but we wanted to make sure that our plans were in alignment with His plans for us as a couple. My husband and I are definitely the type of individuals that go about doing things our own way, but it never really seems to get us that far. We had to remember that our union was a threesome: God, my husband, and I so therefore, God had to lead us in our desired goals within our marriage. Setting goals for your marriage and allowing God to be involved is extremely important for your growth as a couple. In every aspect of our lives we should experience growth and maturity even within marriage. Your marital goals could consist of any of the following: purchasing a home or family vehicle, planning a family or a vacation, finding a church home, starting an investment portfolio or planning for retirement; whatever your goals extend the invitation to God to guide you on what your goals should be and how to attain them. Ask that His will be done within your marriage, and within your life.
James 4:13 says: 13Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.
In summary, this means: It is good to have goals, but goals will disappoint if we leave God out of them. There is no point in making plans as though God does not exist, because the future is in his hands. What would you like to be doing ten years from now? One year from now? Tomorrow? How will you react if God steps in and rearranges your plans? Plan ahead, but hold your plans loosely. Put God’s desires at the center of your planning; he will never disappoint you.
It is so easy to go about doing things your own way, but so hard to digest when things don’t work out the way you may have wanted. My husband and I still struggle as a couple, and individually with setting goals and moving in a desired direction without always conferring with God first and we can always tell the difference in the results! One of our new goals is to always be mindful to never move forward in anything without taking it to God first!
*Scripture quotations and summary are taken from the Life Application Study Bible (NIV).
I would like to thank all the readers of this blog page for logging on to Wife Talk, and for your comments. It is time for me to confer with God about the direction and upcoming topics for series 3. As always, I am open to topic suggestions and ideas that are on the hearts and minds of the readers. If you have a topic that you would like me to write about, please email me at www.wifetalkblog@yahoo.com.
I am also in the early planning stages of a “Find the jewel in you, see the gem in him” workshop for married couples. This workshop will also be open to couples that are unmarried, but in committed relationships, as well as single individuals. I stated that I am in the early planning stages, but because I’m being obedient to God’s goal for Wife Talk, the planning is moving along rather rapidly. If you think you would be interested in attending this workshop, please email me at www.wifetalkblog@yahoo.com. I will be tracking the interest of participants as it will better help me plan the workshop. I will be providing more details about the workshop (date, location, etc.) in the upcoming weeks so continue to log in each week. Again, thanks for your support.
Find the jewel in you, see the gem in him!
Treazure
