Goal Setting

Saturday morning, Margaret and I were laying in bed taking advantage of not having to be anywhere that morning. She had her Iphone out looking at facebook and telling me what people were putting down as their status. She saw that her parent's pastor's wife was running in a 5k race that morning. We started talking about what it would take to run in a 5k and that one of the girls that used to help us in kid's church had run in one. We decided that would be a great way for us to get in shape because we would have a goal before us. We have tried all kinds of stuff to get in shape. We joined a gym (we went until the kids school scheduling got in the way), we bought workout dvd's (The Carmen Electra one is still my favorite to watch), we tried wii workout games (that kicked my tail), and gave a try to a host of other failed bits. We never seemed to keep doing whatever we tried. Something always got in the way. It was kids or ministry or we were just to tired. Having a race to train for we thought would give us a goal to see the workouts through. I thought about being in High School and how I never had problems working out in the Summer because I knew football season was coming, I had a goal to aim for. We got online found a race and looked up workout plans. Margaret got up yesterday morning, early, to run. I took off and ran last night after the kids went to bed.

As I was walking at the end of my workout, I begin to think about how setting a goal is important in our lives. I think our relationships with Christ suffer because we forget about our goal. We may have stuff pop up in our day to day lives that effects the way we live for Christ because the other stuff is right there in front of us like our kids, our schedules, or just being tired. We forget about our goal, Heaven. I know this is borderline blasphemous, but I think Paul was wrong when he used our lives as a metaphor to a race. I wish he had used our lives as a metaphor to training for a race. When you train you can see the end in sight. When you train you set goals for yourself along the way. You work hard day in and day out. The race is our goal in preparing for a 5k, Heaven is our goal in this thing we call life. When I have Heaven squarely in my thoughts, I don't have a problem reading my word, praying, worshiping, or serving. It is when I worry about other stuff, the goals that are earthly that my priorities get messed up. Just as I can train for a race because I can see one coming, I can work on my relationship with Christ so much better if I can aim at that goal, Heaven.

I hope we never forget our goal in this life, even when the busyness has to be done. If we remember our goal, then it makes doing the truly important things a lot easier to accomplish.