What kinds of goals have you set for 2018? If you're like most Americans, somewhere on that list are the topics of weight loss, fitness, home organization, healthy eating, and getting the budget under control - and all of these are good. But if you look at most "top ten resolutions" lists, what you won't find are any kind of goals or resolutions that are spiritual in nature. Honestly, that's not too surprising. As a culture, we tend to focus on the here and now, to the neglect of those things that are "unseen." And yet, as the Apostle Paul reminded the church in Corinth, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18). So how can we fix our eyes on what is unseen for 2018? Try these four steps.
Treasure
Do an inventory check of your heart. What do you value the most? Jesus taught in Matthew 6:19-21, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." What is your greatest treasure? Is it is the "seen" things of this earth? Or is it the "unseen" treasures in Heaven? Even the good, earthly treasures of children and husbands and family and friends pale in comparison to our relationship with our Creator, but it is easy to forget that and spend all of our time and energy on them, neglecting the One from whom those treasures come and for Whose glory they (and we) exist. We cannot fulfill, or even know, our purpose this side of Heaven without setting those priorities in order. Determine now to submit your year to God, for His glory, and as He directs.
Target
It's been said, "If you aim at nothing, you'll hit is every time." One reason why New Years resolutions are generally such a failure is that most people simply say, "This year I will _____" without thinking about how they will get there. It's not enough to have a pleasing vision of the future. You need specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-oriented (SMART) goals. And my very strong suggestion to you is that you NOT set yearly goals - set some goals for the next three months and then reassess and do it again. That makes it much more manageable!
Most of my spiritual goals have fallen into these three areas.
Head: Understanding something better. There are often several topics on my heart that I feel drawn to learn more about. Two years ago, the topic was headcovering, and I made one of my goals that year to do an in-depth study of it, with the goal of obeying God in whatever he revealed to me. Other years, I have decided to spend time learning about prayer, or about the end times, or about discipleship. Maybe you want to learn about one specific book in the Bible, or to learn about how to share the gospel. Make a list of spiritual questions you have (use the five W's to get you started - who, what, when, where, why, and how) to see what is on your heart.
Hands: Developing better habits. Usually when we think of spiritual habits, we think of prayer and Bible reading, but those are just some of the disciplines we are called to nurture as believers. One of my favorite books, Celebration of Discipline, lists twelve spiritual disciplines that the Bible teaches us to develop:
Heart: Growing my relationship with the Lord. It is possible to have deep understanding of the Bible and perfect spiritual disciplines and to miss the whole point. This is a heart issue, and so it may be harder to make that "SMART" goal with, but we should not neglect it either. How do we judge our other close relationships? Often by the time we spend together, the depth of our ability to communicate, the level of trust we have. Practically speaking, these may look like developing habits of prayer or our understanding of God's character, but using our desire for a closer walk with God to inform our other goals will keep them from being all head and hands, but no heart.
Most of my spiritual goals have fallen into these three areas.
Head: Understanding something better. There are often several topics on my heart that I feel drawn to learn more about. Two years ago, the topic was headcovering, and I made one of my goals that year to do an in-depth study of it, with the goal of obeying God in whatever he revealed to me. Other years, I have decided to spend time learning about prayer, or about the end times, or about discipleship. Maybe you want to learn about one specific book in the Bible, or to learn about how to share the gospel. Make a list of spiritual questions you have (use the five W's to get you started - who, what, when, where, why, and how) to see what is on your heart.
Hands: Developing better habits. Usually when we think of spiritual habits, we think of prayer and Bible reading, but those are just some of the disciplines we are called to nurture as believers. One of my favorite books, Celebration of Discipline, lists twelve spiritual disciplines that the Bible teaches us to develop:
- Inward disciplines: meditation, prayer, fasting, and study
- Outward disciplines: simplicity, solitude, submission, service
- Corporate disciplines: confession, worship, guidance, and celebration
Heart: Growing my relationship with the Lord. It is possible to have deep understanding of the Bible and perfect spiritual disciplines and to miss the whole point. This is a heart issue, and so it may be harder to make that "SMART" goal with, but we should not neglect it either. How do we judge our other close relationships? Often by the time we spend together, the depth of our ability to communicate, the level of trust we have. Practically speaking, these may look like developing habits of prayer or our understanding of God's character, but using our desire for a closer walk with God to inform our other goals will keep them from being all head and hands, but no heart.
Tools
There are so many tools out there to help us grow spiritually! There are so many, in fact, that it can feel overwhelming, but I want to share some that are most helpful for me.
Your Bible. This should be obvious, but it is easy to neglect the Bible and replace it with books, blogs, and apps. Make sure you have a Bible version that is accurate and understandable, with a comfortable font. I strongly suggest having a larger one with room to underline verses and even write notes in the margins, as well as a smaller one that fits in your purse or bag. Even if you have your Bible on your phone, you want to have a hard copy, too.
Apps. My two favorite apps are the YouVersion Bible, which includes dozens of different translations, as well as reading plans and "verse of the day" reminders, and PrayerMate, which I can personalize to include different topics and people. Now when I tell someone, "I'll be praying for you," I actually add it to my PrayerMate app so I won't forget to do so!
Bible reading guide. If you google this, you will find dozens of ways to read through the Bible. Some are organized chronologically, some to get the whole Bible done in a year, some to give you a little bit of the Old Testament and the New Testament every day. My favorite, though, is this one that I made, which just lists every chapter in every book in the Bible. Whenever you read, you color in the boxes for the chapters that you read. Want to read something again? Go ahead, that is not a problem, but this will help you keep track of what you have not yet read, to challenge you to explore and mine sections of God's Word that are less familiar to you. (If you are already a subscriber, you can find it on my freebies page and download it from there!)
Scripture cards. We have different Scripture reminders around our home. Some are framed prints and others are much simpler. I found these "Psalms in Color" coloring cards recently and often include them in gifts or cards to friends as an encouragement. I find them easier to sit and color than a whole page because they are smaller! Another daily reminder to me is whichever Scripture card I have on top of my Hope Deck, a deck of beautifully illustrated Scripture cards that comes with a wooden stand.
Your Bible. This should be obvious, but it is easy to neglect the Bible and replace it with books, blogs, and apps. Make sure you have a Bible version that is accurate and understandable, with a comfortable font. I strongly suggest having a larger one with room to underline verses and even write notes in the margins, as well as a smaller one that fits in your purse or bag. Even if you have your Bible on your phone, you want to have a hard copy, too.
Apps. My two favorite apps are the YouVersion Bible, which includes dozens of different translations, as well as reading plans and "verse of the day" reminders, and PrayerMate, which I can personalize to include different topics and people. Now when I tell someone, "I'll be praying for you," I actually add it to my PrayerMate app so I won't forget to do so!
Bible reading guide. If you google this, you will find dozens of ways to read through the Bible. Some are organized chronologically, some to get the whole Bible done in a year, some to give you a little bit of the Old Testament and the New Testament every day. My favorite, though, is this one that I made, which just lists every chapter in every book in the Bible. Whenever you read, you color in the boxes for the chapters that you read. Want to read something again? Go ahead, that is not a problem, but this will help you keep track of what you have not yet read, to challenge you to explore and mine sections of God's Word that are less familiar to you. (If you are already a subscriber, you can find it on my freebies page and download it from there!)
Scripture cards. We have different Scripture reminders around our home. Some are framed prints and others are much simpler. I found these "Psalms in Color" coloring cards recently and often include them in gifts or cards to friends as an encouragement. I find them easier to sit and color than a whole page because they are smaller! Another daily reminder to me is whichever Scripture card I have on top of my Hope Deck, a deck of beautifully illustrated Scripture cards that comes with a wooden stand.
Journals. When I was in the hospital after the loss of my daughter Naomi in my second trimester, a friend called and asked what she could bring to me. Immediately, I said, "I need a journal." In my devastation over the tragic death of our baby, I was desperate to pour out my heart and my thoughts and my prayers on paper. Journals are wonderful for recording our questions and answers from Bible study, our prayers, and our heart cries. I also use a separate journal for an exercise a friend introduced me to when she gave me a "Journible". That is the exercise of copying the Scriptures in my own handwriting. A printed Journible sets it up for you (and these are great to get as gifts for others to introduce the idea to a friend, but in my journal, I use the right side of the page to copy a few verses from the book I am focusing on and the left side to record my thoughts. I focus on one book at a time, and eventually have a copy of that book in my own handwriting - which will also be a precious treasure to pass along to my children in the future.
Books. There are too many books for spiritual growth to give even a conservative list of recommendations. Devotionals are a wonderful way to make sure you are taking time to connect with God every day. The classic My Utmost for His Highest is one you can't go wrong with, and I also like Fixing My Eyes on Jesus by Anne Graham Lotz. Along with Celebration of Discipline, two of my favorite books about prayer from my college days were The Hour that Changes the World by Dick Eastman and With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray.
Music. Music helps transport me from this side of Heaven to the throne of Heaven. Keep some handy all the time, whether CDs, or a playlist on your phone, or a radio station that will help focus your mind on God.
An accountability group. Find a group that you can meet with regularly for prayer, Bible study, and general encouragement. It may be for a limited time, like for the next eight weeks, or for a longer commitment, but having others walk with us as we grow spiritually will keep us on track.
Books. There are too many books for spiritual growth to give even a conservative list of recommendations. Devotionals are a wonderful way to make sure you are taking time to connect with God every day. The classic My Utmost for His Highest is one you can't go wrong with, and I also like Fixing My Eyes on Jesus by Anne Graham Lotz. Along with Celebration of Discipline, two of my favorite books about prayer from my college days were The Hour that Changes the World by Dick Eastman and With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray.
Music. Music helps transport me from this side of Heaven to the throne of Heaven. Keep some handy all the time, whether CDs, or a playlist on your phone, or a radio station that will help focus your mind on God.
An accountability group. Find a group that you can meet with regularly for prayer, Bible study, and general encouragement. It may be for a limited time, like for the next eight weeks, or for a longer commitment, but having others walk with us as we grow spiritually will keep us on track.
Time
This is the hardest part, isn't it? Finding the time to invest (and yes, it is an eternal investment) in our spiritual growth. When is the best time? Simple. Whatever works best for you. I know all of the arguments for having your devotional time first thing in the morning, and that is a great time for many reasons, but if you are in a season of life where you are waking up every three hours to feed a newborn, or when your husband is working a shift schedule and the whole family is out of whack from it, please don't feel like a spiritual wimp if you just can't get up two hours before the rest of the family to have a dedicated Quiet Time.
If the morning works, great. Do that. If your best time to focus on God is going to be at night, after the kids are in bed, do that. If you know you will have thirty minutes in the car pick-up line at school waiting for the kids to come out, use that time. If you are taking your mom to a doctor's appointment, use the time in the waiting room to work on your spiritual goals. Be honest with yourself, and don't pick a time that will end up leaving you feeling defeated. And if one time doesn't work, choose another. Don't give up because this is too important.
If the morning works, great. Do that. If your best time to focus on God is going to be at night, after the kids are in bed, do that. If you know you will have thirty minutes in the car pick-up line at school waiting for the kids to come out, use that time. If you are taking your mom to a doctor's appointment, use the time in the waiting room to work on your spiritual goals. Be honest with yourself, and don't pick a time that will end up leaving you feeling defeated. And if one time doesn't work, choose another. Don't give up because this is too important.
What about you?
So what are you going to focus on? I would love to hear about your spiritual goals and how you hope to meet them in the next few months!
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