Grace in Goal-Setting

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. (Prov. 16:3 NIV)

I am a huge fan of goals and plans.

Correction: I am a huge fan of making goals and plans. Sticking with them, however, is a whole other thing. In January, I am one of those people who tends to make new goals for every part of her life, and then I am astounded when I run out of steam before all my lofty goals are accomplished.

Plans are a little different. I love to plan. I have planners, notebooks, sticky notes, and colorful pens all for my lists and plans. I will make a plan and try to stick to it no matter what. I admit, though, I am not at my best when things don’t go according to my plans.

It is fairly obvious that I probably need to loosen up a bit, but more importantly, I need to follow the verse above from Proverbs and make sure that my plans and goals line up with where the Lord is leading and that they are not me trying to make the Lord appear in my own plans.

Where I live, school starts in early August. I have a child in college, a child in high school, a child in middle school, and I am a teacher, so our lives pretty much revolve around the school calendar. While I am sad to see the summer days of sleeping in and having a looser schedule go, the new school year is always exciting. You can safely assume I love buying new school supplies. Each new school year, similar to the new year in January, holds the promise of a brand-new start. Also, with a new school year come new plans and goals.

While milestone holidays and calendar events are excellent times to reassess and determine our steps forward, we need to be kinder to ourselves and more realistic about our priorities throughout the year.

If we are honest, I think most of us can say we are taking on too much and expecting too much of ourselves. We feel that if we mess up a goal, then it is all over.

That is not a godly way to live. Look at what the Bible says:

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23 ESV).

The Lord Almighty gives us a new chance every day. If the Lord shows us mercy daily, we should do that for ourselves as well.

This means giving ourselves some grace regarding our plans and goals. Most importantly, we should be praying over our goals to discern what the Lord wants us to do. Praying and studying God’s Word are the best ways to stay connected to the Lord and be able to hear that still, small voice.

We also need to avoid the temptation of making unattainable goals. We need to stop setting ourselves up for failure and discouragement. I have goals for many different areas of my life. I have writing goals, health goals, spiritual goals, career goals, family goals, financial goals, etc. All are good goals. However, I can become overwhelmed by trying to achieve too much. This is when I need to make sure to prioritize goals and break them down into smaller increments. You can have daily goals, weekly goals, monthly goals, and yearly goals. And your goals should correspond with the time you have allotted for them. For example, don’t plan to write a book in one day.

When making plans and goals, be brutally honest with yourself. You know what you will and won’t do. Don’t sabotage yourself from the beginning. For example, I hate to exercise. I really want to like exercise videos and follow a strict gym routine, but that is just not something I will do. However, I need to exercise. So instead of telling myself I will work out in my living room three days a week, I changed my goal to simply moving every day. Most days this looks like taking long walks and doing some stretching. Other days I might go paddleboarding or play pickleball. Maybe one day I will add in some exercise videos or a gym membership, but I am not starting there because I know I won’t do it at this point in my life.

Use your God-given gifts to achieve your goals. Don’t compare yourself to others. We are not all the same. We all achieve differently.

Give yourself grace. Look to the Lord. Commit your goals and plans to him and allow him to direct your steps.

Dear Lord, We commit our goals and plans to you. We want to live the life you want us to live, and we want our actions to glorify you. Help us when we stumble. Remind us to keep our eyes on you. Amen.

Scripture for Reflection

May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. (Ps. 20:4 NIV)

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. (Ps. 33:11 NIV)

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matt. 17:20 NIV)

Dana Herndon is a writer, blogger, and middle school teacher. She and her husband live in Georgia with their three children. In addition to teaching and writing, Dana loves to read, paddle board, and sometimes run. She blogs about faith, family, and enjoying the everyday life at danaherndon.com.

Photograph © Omar Al-Ghosson, used with permission