Purpose vs Goals

The goals we set should help us to fulfill our purpose.  However, our goals are for us.  Our purpose is emotional, not logical and is not about us.  It is about others and mankind.  

As I was setting my goals for this year I reread some of my earlier blog posts, specifically where I was at in my thinking at the start of the previous years.  What I found amazing was that when I read My Heroes post, it was when I read about my kids that once again the tears flowed.

I wanted to make a difference so that when I leave this planet my legacy will be visible in the lives of my children and future generations of servant leaders.  My goal was to become the best Mom, wife and business women I could be.  I am a good Mom.  My 22 year marriage failed and I am winning as a business woman.  Throughout the success and failures of my life I have not loss track of my purpose.  I have not always waited for God's timing and instead charged full steam ahead on my own thoughts/plans and this did not bode well. 

Now I am learning to wait on the Lord, his timing is perfect. How do you do that? By valuing God’s will more than my own and trusting in His timing which is revealed through the peace that passes all understanding.  

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

⁶ 

in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.(Proverbs 3:5)

God's timing involves our character development.  We don't always understand waiting once we have a vision or defined a set of goals but He is more interested in our character development than our comfort.  Therefore, we must seek to be able to live out the character qualities of Christ as described in Scripture: 

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

These principles keep our actions within boundaries; honesty, integrity, the golden rule, helping others. I was put here to lead as many people as possible to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ by using the gifts and talents I've received from God for His glory.

Setting purpose driven goals requires having the end in sight.  What is your purpose?  Do your goals line up with the bigger picture?  Have your developed the principles necessary to achieve your ultimate purpose?  Your purpose is what keeps you alive and the sparkle in your eye.

We will find a vehicle that will be used to accomplish our purpose. The vehicle may be a job, business or cause where you volunteer.  Regardless of your vehicle it will involve people and this is where you make eternal deposits.  Your God given purpose will affect others.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 
(Matthew 6:19-20)

Have you found the vehicle to accomplish your goals?  A purpose gives you meaning and you will get passionate and enthusiastic enough to complete your purpose once you find the vehicle to get there.  Passion is the multiplier of your efforts, if you do not have confidence in your vehicle you will not get passionate about driving it.

As this first week of the new year is underway I pray we are focusing on new goals and character development that lead to the fulfillment of our purpose here on earth.  

Why God why?

When was the last time you asked God the 'why' question?  Sometimes, when things just don't make sense we find ourselves trying to reason and understand how our particular set of circumstances came to be. We want to DO SOMETHING! We are frustrated with where we are or losing hope to see our dreams come true. I experienced one of those seasons this fall and God's timing was perfect as our Pastor, Julian Freeman was completing a series on Genesis.

His sermon called - The God of Astonishingly Complex Providence addressed this question so succinctly.  As a followup to our weekly services most of our congregation meets in small groups and discusses how the biblical principles taught are being adopted and accepted.  With Julian's permission I am sharing these thought provoking questions with you because I found them so profound. 

1. At the heart of the ‘why’ question there are several presuppositions: (1) that you are able to understand; (2) that it would be better to know; (3) that you deserve to know why; (4) that God needs to explain himself to me; and (5) that if there’s no good explanation, God had better fix it.
• What are the ‘why’ questions you are prone to ask God (in your thoughts)?
• Are you hopeful that you’ll trust God more consistently now (and question him less)? Why/Why not?
• We sometimes fail to see the severity of questioning God. What’s wrong with having a light hearted attitude toward our struggles in this area?
2. Trust in God’s providence gives us contentment with our lot.
• Are you content? If so, how can you attest to God’s grace in your being contentedness. If not, ways have you been struggling with discontentment?
• What are you failing to trust God for? Explain how truth from Genesis 37-39 can help you in your battle for contentment?  
• How would trusting in God’s providence change the way you are deal with your current circumstances (and make you more obedient now)?
3. Trust in God’s providence gives patience for his work in others.
• What is it so hard for you to be patient with (in other people)?
• How would a long-view of God’s providential work in the world help your patience towards these people?

The sermons in this series were for me, timely and exceptionally impactful.  Coming to terms with God's providence, sovereignty, our dreams and ultimately the fact that our lives are a very small part of His story.  I found this series to be freeing, encouraging and inspirational all at the same time.  My journey to coming to complete surrender to God has been a long one....50 years of preparation in fact.  I've chosen the long painful way so very often and yet God has been faithful.  Coming to the conclusion is that He works in mysterious ways, His ways are always better than anything I could come up with.  Ahhh....letting go....and hanging on to His promises.

It is really very simple as the hymn says "Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey"

I am free to choose to serve my God and He doesn't need me, I need Him!  Thank you Julian for putting life here on 'planet hollywood' into the proper perspective.  I am developing patience.  

Prayer, timing and Truth!

I love Sundays, for oh so many reasons, but mostly because I've been commanded by a Great and Glorious God to take a day of rest. Rest....hahaha...God has such an incredible sense of humour. I know, I know the Sabbath...I've gone through stages of legalism in my journey, add to that a touch of being opinionated(thanks Dad) and I have to humbly admit that I've changed my views on so many things as I’ve grown in my journey.

As I reflected on how much I've learned about Grace and forgiveness I also had the gnawing at my heart that there is this balance between what we convince ourselves is OK to do and what God says is right. I was reminded of how much I’ve learned through Bible study and how much I’ve missed God at times in my life as I’ve charged full steam ahead.

I’ve come to terms with how much sin I am capable of and have publicly confessed that it is only through my relationship with my Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ that I have any purpose greater than what this world teaches. There are so many times that I’ve felt very alone in this world and today driving home to an empty house I once again thought about being alone and yet was thankful for time alone with God.

I came home to a surprise; a hanging basket of flowers from a friend, my favourite colour too. I thought of a message I had heard a long time ago about being single and God providing. I love flowers and had earlier visited a nursery with my Dad to buy him a new bush for his new garden and thought about what I’d like in a hanging basket but didn’t buy anything for myself.

The flowers made me smile as I was coming into the house and was preparing to listen to a message someone had sent me a few months back and that I had saved because she said it was about an hour long. Interesting….no time to commit an hour to hear a message. But…seeing as I had missed Church this morning which I hardly ever do, I wanted to hear a Bible message.

I also thought about coming home and checking to see if someone I knew that had a gift for words had put anything on their blog for Father’s Day. His Mother’s Day message was awesome. So..I check his blog first….great post….tears..I noticed his previous post and it sounded familiar. I checked the message I was going to listen to and it was one in the same!

OK, so if you don’t know how God works. This is what He does in my life. He is a gentleman; He guides me and waits for me to take the TIME to acknowledge Him. Yet again, I’m the slow one. Here this message has been in my face and totally reflective of my journey over the past 6 months.

I chose to take the hour and listen to Rachel’s story. http://deathisnotdying.com/

Enough said by me. Please listen to her message for it is full of Truth and you will understand how great our God is! Thank you Wendy & Paul for showing me this link. Than you Rachel for reminding me of so many of the truths that I hold dear and get too busy to model.