To be honest, the word “goal” is a real “turnoff.” Maybe it is because I associate it with the corporate world in which I worked for a number of years but where I felt like a fish out of water. Likewise, to talk about one’s dreams seems selfish and self-serving. I like the way Hermann Eben* approaches the concept of goals and dreams:
Structure demands behavior…
Where you look, you tend to go…
I would add one more component: “Give God all the Glory!” (Eph. 3:20). These simple truths help to guide me… when I remember them and put them into practice!
For example, when I was very young, my father moved to Honolulu and became part owner in a successful jewelry business. As an adult, I wanted to see where he had lived and worked, so, even though he had already passed away, I set my heart on a trip to Hawaii.
I had no savings, but I put a small jar on my desk at work and began collecting my loose change. It reminded me not to give up what was in my heart. Within a year, I was boarding a plane for Honolulu. Of course, that plane ticket cost much more than the coins I put in that little jar, but it taught me a valuable lesson. “Showing up” (that is, taking a first step) and being faithful set in motion my desired outcome being transformed into reality.
The small jar gave me a symbolic structure that encouraged me to take a tangible step forward. Saving toward the trip kept my “there” (the destination) firmly in front of me; that is, where I looked, I went!
“Structure demands behavior…”
“Where you look, you tend to go… ”
“Give God all the Glory!” (Eph. 3:20)
Where are you looking today? If you were to take one step forward, what would it be?
*Hermann Eben, GR8Relationships, Morning Nudge, “There” for Christians, May 8, 2024.
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