A Goal To Carry On
Where are you going? An old proverb says, "If you don't change your direction, you will likely end up where you are headed." So, I'll ask again: where are you headed? Regardless of your age or past accomplishments, do you have a clear direction for your future?
I have a senior in high school, so this is the current topic of discussion in our house right now. Thankfully, he does know what he wants to do. Through prayer and research we are beginning to see the path he needs to take to fulfill his dreams. On the other hand, one of his close friends is clueless (as probably are a lot of seniors)! But in talking to my son's friend, my heart is compassionate towards his lack of direction. It is a lot of pressure to have to decide right now what you want to do for the rest of your life.
From experience, I have discovered that reaching your goals is not always a straight shot. I am living out my dreams now, but the path that got me here had many turns along the way. And with each turn, I learned something valuable which aided in reaching my goal. The problem for most people however, is that along the way discouragement set in. Job said, "What strength do I have, that I should hope? And what is my end, that I should prolong my life" (Job 6:11)? I think the New Living Translation better describes Job's feelings. It says, "I do not have a goal that encourages me to carry on." Unfortunately, this attitude depicts the weariness many people experience when their future is unclear.
When I first asked my son what he thought he wanted to do after graduation, he answered "I don't know." (Typical teenager.) So I re-worded the question and asked, "If you had no obstacles, what would your dream job be?" He had an answer to this question. You see, sometimes we need to re-evaluate how we're looking at something in order to see it clearly. God did this in the Gospel of Jesus Christ when He gave us Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The accounts are similar because it portrays one man's life and ministry. Yet, the accounts are different because they are written from four different perspectives. Whereas John recounted an event one way, Luke, standing on the other side of it, saw it slightly different. Was it different? No. The angle at which it was portrayed gave it a difference. Understanding this helps us in life decisions. If we are uncertain about where we are headed or what we want to do, then maybe we need to look at it from a different perspective.
Dr. Mike Murdock has a series of books on the topic of Assignment. In them, he asks questions like, "What makes you mad?" or "What makes you cry?" He states that the answer to questions like these are indicators of your assignment. For example, pretend two people are watching televison together and a commercial comes on asking for help to feed the hungry in Ethiopia. Suppose both of them agree there's a need, yet one of them is almost brought to tears at the pictures on the TV of malnourished children. This mark of compassion is an indicator of that person's assignment. A lack of tears by the other person doesn't mean they are heartless, it just means that their assignment is different.
In another example, suppose an area of town is going to be re-zoned so alcohol sales can be made available in providing establishments. One person may think little of it because it's available everywhere else, while another person becomes angry at this proposition because of the long-term effects it will have on their quiet neighborhood. Guess who has an assignment?
God told Habakkuk, "Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry" (Habakkuk 2:2-3). When God asked Habakkuk to write the vision, He wasn't asking for a long story, just a clear, concise statement of the goal. Often, the goals people set out to accomplish are lost along the way because they didn't write it down when the dream was fresh and exciting. So later, somewhere after a few turns, the dream is abandoned and all they can say is, "I do not have a goal that encourages me to carry on." This is not the will of God. He has a plan and purpose for every person, and with eagerness He desires for us to not only discover His plans but also fulfill them.
One of my favorite scriptures is found in 2 Timothy 1:9, which says, "God has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began." This encourages me because it takes the pressure off of me to be successful in this life. I only have to discover what it is God designed for me to do, and then do it. Paul said God's will is no secret for He has "...made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself" (Ephesians 1:9).
However, God's instruction to Habakkuk (and us) requires faith. Basically we are instructed to discover the mysteries of His will. This takes faith in prayer. Then as direction begins to unfold, faith is required in order to see the dream fulfilled. "For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to [fulfillment]; it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it {lingers or is delayed}, wait [earnestly] for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behind on its appointed day" (Amplified). The waiting required of us is expectation, not disappointment. In other words, lift your head, keep an eye on the horizon as you expectantly wait for your desired outcome.
But know this: success is not found in the destination, but in the journey. And for this reason, as one journey seems to end, God has already prepared another journey for you. This new journey is connected to another dream, and the finish line you just crossed now becomes a new starting line! God said His righteousness (His way of doing things) is "...revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith'" (Romans 1:17). Life is a journey, and for Christians, life requires faith.
Find it. Write it down. Expect it. Live it. - Then repeat.
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