Don’t you just hate New Year’s Resolutions? It seems like they never work out! We sink tons of money into exercise equipment in January, thinking we’re on our way to being marathon runners. By February, we’re back to this:

I hate resolutions, but let me tell you, I LOVE GOALS. Come late December, I get so excited to make my yearly goals. One of my former coworkers shared the joy of goal-making with me by telling me about a tradition she and her husband have had since they started dating. Every year on New Year’s they go out for a fancy dinner to review how they did on their previous years’ goals and set new ones for the coming year. I loved this idea so much that Jonah and I decided to adopt this tradition ourselves. 

Now every New Years, we treat ourselves to dinner at our favorite restaurant and do our goal review. I’ve had a lot of success with keeping my goals, over the past five years. Jonah, on the other hand, has had “read more” on his list for the past five years, without success, so this year he finally took it off his list. Anyway, here’s how I don’t fizzle out on my goals come February:

1. 1. I pray about them a lot before I commit to them. You might ask yourself, what does God think about my goals? Do they honor Him? What’s my motivation?
   2. I make them SMART or SMARTish (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based). 
   3. I write them down. This is the #1 thing you can do to achieve your goals.
   4. I speak my goals out loud to friends and family. This gives me built-in accountability. I HATE to disappoint other people or go back on my word, so telling others my goals keeps me on the hook.

So, why make goals at all? 

As it turns out, it’s Biblical! I’ve been reading in Proverbs lately, and Proverbs has some great things to say on the subject:

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law. (Proverbs 29:18)

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

There are also some warnings about how we go about setting our goals, namely that we should seek God’s will as we’re deciding on what goals to make:

Save this as your phone wallpaper this week as a reminder to commit your goals to the Lord.

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21)

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

With that said, I hope you’ll take some time today to revisit any goals you set back in January and maybe make some modifications or recommit to your plans, asking God for His direction. 

And since writing down goals and telling others is a great way to make them happen, here are mine. Hold me accountable!

My 2021 Goals:

Theme Verse: Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Personal Goals

• • • • • • Read 2 books/mo (24 total)
          • Write in my prayer journal & mom journal daily
          • Phone free mornings & one offline day each week
          • Have daily one-on-one quiet time with God during kids’ nap time or after their bed time
          • Eat less meat by choosing 1 main meat/week
          • Be fully present at meals – no cell phone distractions or leaving the table

Family Goals

• • • • • • Read a parenting book together with Jonah
          • Visit 5 more state parks as a family
          • Visit the farmers market 1x/mo once vaccinated for COVID-19

Financial Goals

• • • • • • Open college accounts for baby #2
          • Save towards next home down payment & set up auto-drafts to savings

What are your goals for 2021? What have been the most challenging goals for you to keep over the years? Let me know in the comments below!

Coming up:

Wednesday: Step-by-Step Planting Preparation Guide

Next Sunday: Kingdom First