OPINION —
Goals change with age. At six my goal was to have a bicycle. At eight it was to own a Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun. At 10, I wanted to be a member of the Lone Ranger’s Safety Club. A year later, I wanted a 20 gauge shotgun. At 12, I wanted a horse. At 15, I wanted my driver’s license.
I reached all those goals, obtaining the things I wanted — with the help of my parents. But none of those things satisfied me. Something was missing, but I had no idea what it was.
Then along came a man who was not talking about guns or horses or cars. He was talking about the joy he had found in following Jesus. I saw something in him I wanted.
That man was Si Mathison, my pastor. His example, as well as his preaching, inspired a new goal to spring up in my heart. I wanted to become an authentic Christian like Brother Si. His plan was not complicated. Repent of your sins. Surrender to Jesus. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and become Lord of your life. Then get in your Bible and learn how to live like Jesus.
At a summer youth camp, I repented of my sins and asked Jesus to take over my life. That decision changed everything. My goals changed. I was filled with joy. I had what Brother Si had, a relationship with Jesus that gave me hope for my future. My goals began shifting from temporary things to the eternal purposes of God.
Normal people choose life goals. Since the 2007 movie, The Bucket List, it has been popular for people to create a bucket list. In the movie two men who were terminally ill (played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman), made a list of things they wanted to do before they “kicked the bucket.”
Building a bucket list of things to do before you die is a way to create challenging goals. They can be adventuresome goals like bungee jumping, running a marathon, sky diving or hunting sable antelopes in Africa. A less adventurous list might include traveling to every state, or visiting famous places like the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, the Taj Mahal or the Great Pyramids.
One might create a simpler bucket list for a day and find joy in completing “things to do.” The list might include: call a friend in Arizona, take clothes to the dry cleaners, wash the car, write notes to friends or relax, pray and study the Bible.
At the risk of being considered a boring person, I must confess never having created a bucket list. Strong goals did emerge during my journey. As I faced family problems that were more than I could handle, I embraced the goal of becoming a better husband and father. My heart’s greatest desire was to become a father my sons would respect and admire.
As we live out our days, our goals change. When I was 50 my two primary goals were to offer my wife the support and affirmation she needed to fulfill God’s mission for her life, and to become a more effective pastor. Obviously those goals could not be accomplished easily and never without the Lord’s help. The rewards of chasing those goals were surprisingly bountiful.
Now, at 93, my primary goal is to obey the Inner Voice as He tells me ordinary ways to continue serving Jesus, one day at a time.
Like all of us, the Apostle Paul’s goals kept changing. After the death and resurrection of Jesus, his passionate objective was to jail Christians and stop the movement Jesus had started. After meeting the risen Christ, Paul’s primary goal became sharing the gospel with the Gentiles.
As Jesus neared the time of his crucifixion, he arranged a final meal with his disciples. There they heard him praying to his Father, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4). He was ready to die on the cross, completing the primary goal of his earthly life.
God had one goal in sending Jesus into the world. Jesus summed up that goal when he said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
What is the primary goal of your life these days?
