Well, It's January 1, 2021. I don't know anyone who will miss 2020. Nope. 2020 was a year we all want to put behind us.
As we begin the new year, most of us enter it with some sense of hope, hoping that, somehow, this year will be a better one in comparison. Many people will hold to the age old tradition of making resolutions for the new year. A resolution is defined as a firm decision to do or not to do something. While resolutions are fine for some, like losing weight or getting out of debt, most resolutions end up abandoned and collecting dust, like that treadmill that is now being used as a clothes rack.
I prefer to set goals. Goals are the object of a person's ambition or effort; an aim or desired result. But I have found that simply setting a general goal is not enough. The goal must be defined well. It must be a S.M.A.R.T. goal; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based. When we make our goals S.M.A.R.T. goals we increase the chance of achieving those goals.
My wife and I usually set goals for each year; financial goals, project goals, relational goals, ministry goals. There is one particular goal I want to achieve this year, which is to post to this blog every week. So let's make it a S.M.A.R.T. goal. I will post a new blog once a week for every week of this new year 2021. There it is. It's specific (post a new blog), measurable (once a week), achievable (again, once a week), Relevant (posts will be relevant to what God is speaking to me about), and time-based (once a week for the entire year in 2021).
This is just one of a few goals I have set for this year. The most important goal for me is to discipline myself and do everything I can this year to draw closer to God. I have actually made this a S.M.A.R.T. goal by adding specifics, but you get the gist.
All goals take discipline, that deep desire to do everything you can to achieve them. If your goal is to lose weight, then discipline yourself to turn away from all those bad foods. If it's to exercise, then discipline yourself to get up and do it, even when you don't feel like it. JUST DO IT!
So, what goals have you set for yourself this year? I hope and pray that your most important goal, the one at the top of the list, is to grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ. Discipline yourself to get up a little earlier in the morning to spend time with Him in His Word and through prayer. Discipline yourself to learn more about Him through a Bible study at church or through a small group. Want to achieve your goal? Than JUST DO IT! It all comes down to what you value.
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