Dreaming big and setting goals is important! It’s good to identify what we want to accomplish and set a plan to get there. That’s part of being an elite athlete, and it’s part of being successful in whatever career path you chose.
As Christians, we are not exempt from this. We should set goals and try to achieve them. But when we are competing for a higher purpose, we need to ask ourselves: what is the intention behind my goals?
As a professional, I’ve had many conversations in the locker room about objectives for the season. We have set targets for the number of games we want to win. But whenever I set a goal for myself, I have to check my heart behind it.
If we say we're competing for a higher calling, yet our goals are not rooted by a desire to honor and glorify Jesus, something is off. When our ambition isn't rooted in Him, even good things lose their true divine purpose.
Pursuing your purpose will always push you to your highest level. Your calling will challenge and test you.
We need to make sure that what we claim as our calling actually matches the values of Christ. If it doesn’t, we drift from God’s purpose for our lives and start to walk on our own strength. We forget that our main aim on in life is to bring glory to the Father.
When our purpose isn’t grounded in Jesus, we lose our firm foundation, and we can become shaky and unsteady. Our achievements should never, ever, top our relationship with Christ.
We must reflect on the goals that we set for ourselves and determine whether we are pursuing them out of our own desires or out of the desire to magnify the name of Jesus.
Challenge
Reflect on some of the goals you have set for yourself. What were the motives of your heart behind these goals? It’s okay if your reflection reveals that you have been seeking your own desires.
How can you reshape or reimagine your goals so that they point to your ultimate goal in this life: to exalt the name of Jesus?
Prayer
“Father, search my heart. Check my intentions. If what I am pursuing is not pleasing to You, show me. I lay down my goals at your feet. May they be used to bring glory to Your name, not to mine. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
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