Most of us have set goals in our life at one time or another. This time of year, we start to think of what our New Years resolutions will be and begin to set our goals for the upcoming year. In January, we start out strong, but many times, we soon lose sight and forget about them until December rolls around again. You have probably heard of, and maybe tried, some of the different goal setting tools.
Probably one of the most well know is the S.M.A.R.T. goal setting plan. This plan outlines a way to set goals and I've included a questionnaire to help you do it. And while this is a great way for you to accomplish your goals-it has drawbacks when it comes to accomplishing the goals God has for you.
Here is why. God's plans for our life are not goals we can achieve on our own, He designed them so we would have to rely on, trust in him, and obey His directions. We don't always have the specifics, He measures differently than we do, His plans are not achievable except thru him, He is more interested in your journey than your results, and He is not bound by time.
While we should be setting S.M.A.R.T. goals with Holy Spirits help, this type of plan falls short when it comes to achieving God's plan for our life.
So what do we do? Do we just rely on "our footsteps being guided by the Lord" (Psalm 37:23) and trust that somehow/someway we will achieve the goals He has for us? Or do we have a more active roll in seeing His will come to pass in our life? Since I'm writing this, you can guess my answers. Yes, I believe God wants, and even needs, us to actively work with Him to accomplish the plans He has for us. First we need to establish that God has a plan for you.
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Psalms 37:23 NLT
Our Father God dreams and makes plans for His children, just as an earthly parent has dreams and makes plans for their children. From before time, God dreamed about you, when you would be born, where you would live, even what you would look like. He gave you gifts and dreamed about how you would use them, He made plans for your life and spoke them over you.
According to some Jewish legends. God dispatches a personal angel to each and every soul while we are in the womb, who sits beside us, and teaches us all the wisdom we will ever need to know. Then, just before we are born, the angel Gabriel gives us a little tap between the nose and the upper lip (that is how we receive that small indentation in the skin beneath their noses, known as the "philtrum.") and everything he taught is forgotten. While this story has no biblical reference, I do believe that God places His plans in us before we are born, and He gives us everything we need to accomplish that plan.
"Living within you is the Christ who floods you with the expectation of glory! The mystery of Christ, embedded within us, becomes a heavenly treasure chest of hope filled with the riches of glory for his people, and God wants everyone to know it!" Colossians 1:27 (The Passion Translation)
We just need Holy Spirit to bring it back to our remembrance. That is where dreaming comes in, dreaming with God. As we sit quietly before Him, those dreams He has for us come bubbling up and fill our minds with day-dreams. We spend a few minutes fantasizing, then dismiss them and come down to reality. But what if some of those are actually something God wants to make happen in your life. He just needs your faith and active participation to make them part of your reality!
So for 2018 we will set S.M.A.R.T goals and D.R.E.A.M. with our Father God to see all his plans for our life realized.
Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Psalms 37:4-5 (KJV)
Free Printable worksheet