Goals give me hives!

This has been my mantra for much of my life – even before I realized it and put it into words. I married a wonderful man who thinks in terms of 1, 3, and 5-year goals. I am amazed how he patiently walks with  me through life. I have learned that some type of goals are beneficial and help me accomplish things, so why the aversion to them?

I have a fear of failure.

If you never verbalize or put a goal in writing, you can’t fail to reach it, right? I have been good at starting things but not always good in the follow through.

“a joyful adventure” is a perfect example of this tendency. I started posting to this blog a year ago. (My first post was on failure – how appropriate.) I posted pretty consistently for a while, then posted once a month, and totally failed to post anything in November and December. Ugh! And, it wasn’t because I didn’t have ideas or things on my heart; I just didn’t sit down and do it.

And each week I didn’t post anything made it that much more difficult to sit down and post. I could have just moved on to “the next thing” (whatever that is), but I just couldn’t. I knew that I needed to keep writing – not for anyone who happens to read these posts. I needed to keep writing for me, for my growth, and for the glory of the One who created me.

I also knew that I needed to set some kind of goals (gasp – where is the Benadryl?) to motivate me in 2019 – relating to this blog, and relating to life in general.

Relating to “a joyful adventure” – I will post at least two times per month in 2019. You might hear from me more, but you will at least hear from me twice a month.

Relating to life in general – I am going to be more intentional in my daily life, my relationships, my school work, and in my walk with God. That may seem a bit general, and it is. How I intentionally live will look differently than how you do it. God may place specific things on my heart that He has not placed on yours. It will be fun to see exactly how He does it – it will be an adventure!

As I wrestled with my first post after being absent for a few months (3 since my last post) I saw how anti-gospel my fear of failure is. Believing my performance gives me significance or value is believing a lie. Believing that I can do anything on my own to gain God’s favor is a lie. My standing before God is not based on my worth (or performance) but on the work of Christ. 

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:4-5)

I am starting this year thankful for God’s grace in saving me.

I am starting this year fighting the lies that my heart tends to buy.

I am starting this year excited for the joyful adventure God has for me in 2019.

Join me in this joyful adventure!