Can you hear the chatter at Panera, on Facebook, over the blogosphere, and in gatherings of church-going girls? We’re wondering why we got gym memberships, if we can catch up on reading the Bible in a year, and if we can try again in February. It’s just past Inauguration Day, and we’re already starting to admit failure when it comes to New Year’s Resolutions.
Are you surprised? Some of us didn’t even make them for that reason. Where are you on a scale of 1 to 10, one being “fizzled out and celebrating with a caramel latte, double syrup” and ten being “I’m keeping a journal to record my successes”? Since I haven’t nailed down my 2013 goals yet, I can officially say, “I’m off the chart!”
If you really want to plan for a great year, slow down with me, grab a friend to be the “2” and start “2new” by ASKING God to help you do three things.
ASK God
- Reflect on the year past; this may be SO last year, but it’s SO valuable.
- Simplify your life by resetting one area that needs attention. I tackled my plastic container cabinet!
- Dream God’s dreams for you by considering what He wants to show you when you seek Him.
The next step in planning for a great year
If you’ve taken time to ASK God to show you His perspective, you’re ready for the next step.
Most people skip ahead to this one: AIM. This week and next, let’s Focus on what goals will help us reach our dream, and then we’ll Plan how to get to there. As we Focus and Plan, we’ll respond to what God showed in our Asking.
Download the 2NEW Focus Card PDF.
Click here if you can’t see the card in your browser of if you’d like to share it with a friend.
Sometimes good things distract us from the best things. If our eyes don’t look “directly ahead,” it’s easy to get down the road and find our goal was just … neglected. It’s more than sad. If God planted that dream in our hearts, maybe it’s … disobedient … to let our gaze become so distracted that we fail to complete the dream God gave us.
If we only get so far as to put dreams into words, they probably won’t happen. They need Focus. They need Planning.
Smaller things, even good things, threaten dreams. No dream is guaranteed. Tomorrow I’ll share a dream the Lord has shown me this month in sharper focus, and I’ll fess up about some of the “good things” that left that dream on the “never got it done” list of 2012.
Is there a goal in your life that’s coming into focus for this year?
Good post. I have so much planned for this year that I have to think about THIS week alone or I get overwhelmed. So true that “Sometimes good things distract us from the best things.” I let that happen too often!
I used your quote Sunday night and it went over very well. My lesson was “Should Christians be on Facebook?” I can email the powerpoint version to you if you’d like.
Also, do you read historical Christian fiction? If yes, I have a review up by a relatively new author you might enjoy reading. She is a dedicated Christian.
Warren
I love historical Christian fiction. I’ll be over to read your review! Thanks for sharing, and I’m glad the quote was helpful. I’d love to see your PPt. Your topic sounds very intriguing. I’d love to see it.