The Horror and Beauty of Goal Setting

Alas, I was transfixed....when i finally began to grasp the innate power of setting one´s own goals.

How powerful I felt, that I could write and craft a precious list of life goals, that I could hold tightly and recite aloud daily, and often.

It was liberating....it was the ultimate flex, to emancipate myself....from my own meandering. To harness my artistic soul and force it to form itself into something resembling direction and ambition....and dare, I say......a  career.

That was many years ago. Many goals later..... I proudly was able to assign a few large check marks and gloat at my accomplishments.

To be able to say....with some authority...¨I am going to do this, by this date....." and actually mean it and believe it was possible........was and still is an intoxicating drink.

But now, friends, I also must speak of the horrors of goal setting.

The biggest disappointment of writing down my life goals, was that it was simply not whimsical at all. I had always danced through life....both literally and figuratively......enjoying the surprises and emotional roller coaster that is the common experience of most Canadian women.

I liked not knowing what was coming around the bend. I liked not knowing who I was going to meet. I liked not knowing what I was going to earn. I liked not knowing what I was going to eat.

To then, do a sharp personal turn and declare that I would control my every move in life....in order to accomplish a list of written goals......was, on a certain level.....an unspeakable horror.

How would God surprise me.....if He wasn´t on  my list? How would I fit my family onto my rather lengthy list of personal goals? How would my children´s journeys fit into my own rather complex list of written goals?

Must I always be rewriting my list of goals when I uncover yet another delight in life, that I had not yet written down on paper? How do I include my husband and my friends on this battle weary list? Did they even want to be trapped into my favorite font?

Lord, I do not have the answers. When I think I have the answers.....I feel that the books I must write are many....too many to utter....too thick to describe.

Lord Jesus, how do I dance through life....if I must write every line upon a list? There are no brownie points for the big green check marks on my list. There is only the personal satisfaction....of a fait accompli.

And so now, having uttered these horrid truths...I must run and hide....for I fear I have betrayed....my best friend.....my list.

C,

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The Cost of Freedom

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I am not talking about war....nor weapons in the traditional sense of weaponry...but I am talking about
trappings of the soul and mind....which bind and trip up us mere mortals...when and if we allow them to do so.

There's a verse in the bible (james 4:7) ...which encourages us to
"Resist the devil and he will flee"...

That verse, in my understanding, also applies to things which trap our minds and lives ....snares and concepts and personal policies which prevent us from living fully. Even religious rituals which may have been initially created out of sincere love and devotion, can become warped and compulsive habits which control and bite out huge chunks of time which we would otherwise use to pursue our  wonderful life goals.

We need to be in control of ourselves, and not allow rituals to rise and become dictators over our time and dedication.

If we truly want to achieve our life goals , we must be permitted by ourselves to devote 100% of our time towards these goals...without being manipulated by guilt or a sense of inordinate religiosity.

Try to do only those religious activities which add real value to your life and your honoring of God.The rest is a waste of time and a thief towards your goal setting.

Has someone ever told you how to dress, how to wear makeup and where you should go?

How did you feel when they told you these things? Did they pretend that they were advising you these ideas "for your own good"? Or was it all just a guise to control you and keep you down? Was it an attempt to try to make sure you didn't have a better life than they did? Was it an attempt to make sure you had less success or fame than they had? Were they just trying to prevent you from making them jealous?

Envy is still a monstrous giant...a sneaky rebellious reptile, which will cause even the closest relative to put a stumbling block in front of another family member just to prevent progress and slow down your path to success.

When you sit down and ponder life...... check in on the status of your progress towards the accomplishment of your life's goals, don't forget to check in in your habits. Any habits which do not carry the sweet scent of freedom, are not helpful. You and your mind and your body must have the time and emotional and spiritual freedom to work on your goals with 100% dedication. Multitasking will not do.
If loving God is supposed to give us freedom......that freedom should give us full permission to live
a joyous, challenging, adventurous and wonderfully kooky life. It should not be boring, or predictable or safe by any means. Jesus lived a life of great adventure. He was also sinless. His freedom led him to lay  down His life for us all. What a treasure. What humble freedom. What passion Jesus showed for us, in that he harnessed all the power within his personal freedom and used it to  conquer death and the grave. He overcame any negative thing that would try to steal our joy or progress.

Whatever religious activities you are personally involved, I pray that they are bringing you closer to the freedom and joyful spirit of God who birthed in you  those goals that are sooooo worth fighting for. Peace on,
Carla.