“If Not Now, When?”

Passage:  Philippians 3:12-14  “Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus…but one thing I do:  forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.”

I have definitely been nostalgic lately.  It was humorous yet interesting when I came across a set of goals I had written for a college class assignment.  We had to write twenty things we were hoping to accomplish in our lives.  I was 21 at the time I first penned those goals and now forty years later I look back at them. 

I have been so impressed lately about setting life goals but quite honestly I had forgotten about those goals written many years ago.  Amazingly I found some had been accomplished and others were still on my “wish” list. 

Mark Batterson has become one of my all time favorite writers.  I would recommend any of his books but his most popular and well-known book has been “The Circle Maker”.  It was while reading that book I first realized without a goal or goals, I don’t know whether I am moving forward, staying static, or going backward. 

Paul says in the Philippians passage that he had a goal.  He hadn’t got there yet but was making an effort to do so.  In reaching for his goal, he had to forget what is behind and reach forward. Day by day we do those little things that lead us to the bigger goals that eventually lead us onward and upward to be more like Christ.

We hear about goal setting in many areas of life and sometimes we consider the task to be tiresome and/or boring.  In the education world, we were always setting goals.  I know in the business world, there are goals that must be constantly reached.  (Kara can attest to that statement.  The company she works for has goals for everything from coffee to condiments to customer service.) 

I have ‘set a goal’ to make life goals (again).  For me this is the perfect time to see where God will lead me next.  I just know without them I won’t know if I have made or missed the mark.  Some of the goals I made at 21 will be the same I have at 61 and others will reflect this stage of life. 

This time of year we tend to be more reflective and thoughtful.  We think of how 2015 unfolded and what we hope for in 2016.  Maybe a great time to dream and decide.

“Most people spend more time planning their summer vacation than they do planning their life.”  Mark Batterson, Wild Goose Chase