It is Sunday, January 12, 2014. If you have not set your New Year’s Resolution, you better get going because we are well over a week into the New Year. I don’t know about you, but I am not all that big on resolutions or even goals, for that matter. I get a shiver down my back if someone even mentions the word goal. I am not sure if I just do not like the word, or if it is a fear of not meeting the goal I set. Perhaps most of all, I fear getting side tracked from staying on task for the goals I have. Sure, I have goals, I just prefer not to use the word “goal.” Once achieved, my goals always look just a little different than the way I imagined. Goals are supposed to be specific and precise, so if they look different and are interrupted by something else, did I really achieve what I set out to accomplish?
Everyone has some goals. God has a goal for your life. Even Jesus had a goal while here on Earth. His goal was to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God. In Mark 1:35-39 it says this:
35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
38Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else- to the nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
Did you notice how even Jesus needed his Father? He went off for a while to spend time at the feet of his Father and re-energize so he could meet the goal of reaching people to preach to them. When Simon came and said “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus did not get angry or annoyed at the interruption. He did not tell Simon that he “didn’t have time for that right now,” rather he took a deep breath, rolled up his sleeves and said, “Let’s do this!”
More often than I should, I find myself telling Josh or my children “I don’t have time for that right now!” “I’ll get to it later.” “Maybe another time.” Makes me wonder how often I say those things to God. Just the other day, I was trying to remember what I had read earlier that day during my Bible study. I read it, but I was definitely not in the right spirit, and must have had other things disrupting my focus. This bothered me all day, so I read it again, and it just so happened to be the scripture above. My goal that day was to learn something from my time with God. I fell short of that goal that morning, but perhaps it was God’s teaching plan all along. I do know my goal of learning was fulfilled, just later in the day.
Whatever your goals may or may not be for 2014, I do hope they include spending more time at the feet of your Heavenly Father each day. For some, this may be something new, for others maybe just an area to grow into a deeper love with our Lord and Savior. Either way I know you will not be disappointed with the result! Just remember you are never too young or old to start. Today is the day! Do not put it off any longer. I always thought it would be too hard to squeeze time in my day to spend time with him. I prayed a quick prayer and asked for his help throughout my day and I was off. I was missing out on finding peace in knowing God, having my soul re-energized and learning where he wanted me to go next. Guess what. There is always time. All those things I could do during that time, get done just like they would otherwise. Often times I end up with spare time in my day…time I find myself joyfully saying, “I have time to sit at his feet again today!”
Doing my best to achieve God’s goal for my life,
Becky