Planning
Our Lives Are Our Worship
Photo by John Wardell (Netinho)
Category: Planning
"[S]etting goals with an expectation that the achievement of certain things in our external, physical world will automatically create an internal state of peace, contentment, joy and total happiness is an unhealthy and unrealistic mindset to inhabit." [Craig Harper, www.lifehack.org]
It's also idolatry. There is only one source of true, lasting "peace, contentment, joy and total happiness,"—Jesus Christ.
Nevertheless, when it comes to planning, even the world understands that the why must drive the what. The problem is, unbelievers do not have adequate answers to the why question. Christians, however, know why we ought to set goals. They are vital parts of "redeeming the time" (Eph. 5:16). We have been given an allotment of time on this earth, and whatever we do—from the mundane drink of a cup of coffee to preaching the gospel to a lost sinner—is to be done for God's glory. While many opportunities for glorifying God occur spontaneously, most of what we do ought to be the result of careful planning. And our plans ought to be the result of carefully considering why we should be doing something.
Let me put it this way, our time and activities are to be living sacrifices to the Lord. Worship is the why for everything we do. Our lives are our worship. Most of us do not naturally spend our time well by default. We are too easily attracted by fun (not to mention our battles with laziness). We need to spend whatever time is necessary to determine the best use of our days, as God defines "best." Then, we must transfer our goals to our calendars, and strive to achieve them.
Goal-setting and planning are not intended to be means in and of themselves. Even for the Christian, they will not bring joy and contentment. However, time used for the glory of God will please Him; and knowing that we have pleased our Lord does make us happy.
So, plan. Set goals. Add to your to-do lists and calendars. But make sure that your why can be derived from God's Word and has something to do with honoring your King.
Living on Purpose
Photo by John Wardell (Netinho)
Category: Planning
The full title of this post would be something like: Living on Purpose—The importance of evaluating and setting goals.
I recently asked a group of Christians to identify an area of their life they would try to improve in 2009 over 2008. I got mostly blank stares. Then I asked them to name a way in which they had improved their life in 2008. Again, deadpan. It quickly became apparent that these folks were not living life on purpose. That is not to suggest that they had no stated purpose; each of them would have certainly affirmed that they live "to glorify God." They did not lack intentions, they lacked intentionality. They lacked a plan. I asked one more question—"Do you go through life in more of a proactive or reactive way?" Not surprisingly, the majority were reactors.
Our Creator intended to make the world. He also intended to send His Son to the cross to save sinners. Fortunately for us, He actually developed a plan to accomplish these goals and implemented it. As beings created in His image, we do well to imitate this pattern of formulating and carrying out plans for worthy achievements. Righteousness is not something one just stumbles upon.
While I am not a fan of New Year's Resolutions, I do encourage new year planning. In future posts, I will offer suggestions for what and how to plan for the upcoming year. In the meantime, I encourage you to give careful thought to how you would like to look back at the end of 2009 and see marked improvement in the areas most pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ. And then consider what steps will help you get there.
Better Relationships in 2009
Photo by John Wardell (Netinho)
Category: Planning
Life is about relationships. At least, it should be. Setting goals to read more books, lose weight, save money, etc., are worthy, but loving others is more worthy. So, this year set relationship goals. Make it your ambition that come next January, you will look back on 2009 and see a marked improvement in your devotion to people, beginning, of course, with Jesus Christ.
For those who say, "Amen Brother!" followed quickly by, "But where do I start?" I'm here to help. Here a few suggestions as to how to go from theory to practice in strengthening relationships.
1. Identify your key relationships.
We all have numerous relationships which require our attention. Some deserve a high level of involvement, time, and effort, others not so much. It is neither wise nor loving to consistently neglect more important relationships for the sake of those lower on the priority list. For example, if my relationships are: disciple of Christ, husband, father, church member, small group member, son, employee, brother, friend, and neighbor, and I spend far more time with friends than my wife, then I am out of line. My wife deserves a higher standing than other friends. And it goes without saying that my most significant relationship must be the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Determine the most important way you should improve your relationship with each.
Taking some of the relationships listed above as examples, you may conclude something like this:
Disciple of Christ—Know His word better, pray and commune with Him more, etc.
Husband—Cherish my wife more.
Father—Spend time with each child individually on a regular (weekly) basis.
3. Set specific goals to achieve improvement.
Next, you need to establish clear, measurable, achievable goals which will help you accomplish the larger objective. For example:
Knowing the Word
• Study the book of Romans from January through March.
• Read it through once every week. Identify key concepts and repeated themes (by the end of January).
• Purchase a good commentary and read its notes on important passages (by the end of February).
• Schedule an appointment or two with a pastor or knowledgeable friend to discuss the major subjects (by the end of March).
• Pray daily for the Spirit's help in applying the commands and instructions in Romans.
• Establish a similar plan for another biblical book for the next three quarters.
Cherish wife
• Plan weekly date night.
• Find childcare for kids.
• Identify things that wife enjoys and which will be a blessing to her.
• Plan the first 13 dates for January through March.
• Plan creative ways to "invite" wife to each date (emails, hidden notes, calls, letters in mail, etc.).
Spend time with each child individually
• Plan weekly "date" time. (Saturday morning, different child each week).
• Plan a quarter's worth of goals for the dates (Discussing: biblical lessons, schooling, biblical manhood/womanhood, likes and dislikes, fears, friends, and books. Occasionally something fun like a movie or bowling or ice cream or miniature golf.)
4. Set a recurring weekly time (30 min.) to review, evaluate, and plan.
This helps you to stay on track and to determine that you are truly improving the relationships (rather than merely checking things off of your to-do list). Also, use this time to specifically pray for each relationship and ask the Holy Spirit to use you to bless each one.
5. Set a quarterly time (at least one hour) to review, evaluate, and plan.
Use this time to take a wider view of where you have been, identifying those things which were most helpful and least helpful in achieving your goals. Also, acknowledge where you were lazy or negligent and determine how you can overcome these sins during the next quarter. Finally, set your goals and make your plan for the upcoming three months (including the weekly and end-of-quarter review times).
Ultimately, planning in this way will not change your affection toward others. That is heart work which only God's Spirit can do. However, if the genuine desire is present, effective planning may help you move from the road of good intentions to actual progress.