A Hope is only a dream until written down...and then it becomes a goal. It obtains substance. As the good book says, 'Faith is the substance of things hoped for.' Faith activated makes things happen.
Many years ago I attended a business conference with my husband. The speaker challenged us to set a goal for two years time. She taught us how to set goals every week for fifty weeks to make sure it happened. What was my goal? What did I want to be doing in two years time. Not having a business, I set a goal to preach. It was my calling, but I had little opportunity to exercise my gift.
I put pen to paper and wrote down the dream - to preach ten times in the next two years. It became a goal. I made a simple chart and marked off every five weeks.The task was to prepare one sermon in each time frame. I added the task to my calender and largely forgot the idea. When the reminders popped up, I'd outline a sermon in my journal using revelation the Lord had given me.
The strangest thing happened. About five months before the two year mark, I had preached one sermon, maybe two. I wasn't paying close attention. Then our pastor resigned suddenly. The leadership asked me to preach and organise other speakers. And yes, by the time the fifty weeks was up I'd preached ten times or more. How did that happen?
We must move our hopes and dreams, even our callings from God, into definite written goals.
In my last blog here on 30th May, I wrote about Goals and Deadlines. I shared the steps I was creating to achieve publication. The timeline for my efforts was the Omega conference in Sydney. I'd booked. I was determined to use it to learn enough and make the connections to be published.
Life intervened, as life always does. A wedding was scheduled for the same weekend leaving me with a difficult choice. I cancelled the conference and left my goals floundering without a time line. However I pushed on, fulfillng tasks, editing, determined to get at least one book published.
Sometimes fulfillment comes in unexpected ways. If your eye is firmly on the goal, it manifests even from a different direction. Now, two months after I publically declared my determination to see my books printed, I have an agreement with a publisher. A publisher who produces a polished, professional product. Maybe, just maybe, it will be out by the end of the year.
As excited as I am about this, it has spurred me to greater goals. Two books published a year is the new goal. And I must keep on writing more, so I've decided to join NaNoWriMo in November. At the moment my brian is locked in editing mode, but I have a date to release the creative side of me. It is another positive goal.
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force. Matt 11:12
What is your goal? Have you written it down? Put it on the wall where you see it often.
My husband pinned a picture of a car on a corkboard. I took no notice. Then one day we decided to buy a new vehicle before the end of June. He was busy. Armed with his instructions I bought a Honda taking the only car they had available. When I drove it home, he pointed to the corkboard. It showed the exact same car, down to every detail - model, leather seats, sun roof and colour. There is such power in a written, activated goal.
Do you have similar stories? Please share them in the comments.
Jo Wanmer lives in Qld with Steve, her husband of 53 years. Her greatest achievement is 9 great grandchildren under five! She writes out of her passion to bring a dynamic faith and daily experience of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to her readers. God loves everyone of them and is waiting to embrace them, chat with them and laugh together.
Her first book, Though the Bud be Bruised, won a Caleb award in 2012. The next book is entitled El Shaddai, the book where God is a character.
As you probably realise, I'm a writer-downer too. Goals, ideas to write, thoughts, must-do-s, poems, etc etc. I had a clear thought back in 1989 that it was time to write a proper book. I had three ideas, all written down. I rang the publisher (good old days) and told him my ideas. He suggested the one which became Jodie's Story. As the time to submit it drew near, he warned me the market was full of Chris Kline's similar book (she was the girlfriend of Mick Jagger's manager). Her story leading to Christianity. But my story was becoming a reality as I wrote a chapter a week, even writing on the train. Lo and behold, Teen Challenge decided to celebrate their 20th anniversary and said they would buy the first thousand of my books. So it was published. And apparently it hit the spot for teens especially, in that season. My goal's fruition shone in real live shops. Thanks for sharing that, Jo. I appreciate all your input.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story of vision realised Jeanette. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteHi Jo,
ReplyDeleteThanks for this encouragement to have our goals written and not merely swimming around in our heads. What a great example of God-incidence. Congrats also to your exciting pending publication of El Shaddai at last.
Thanks Paula. I'm amazed you still remember El Shaddai after all this time. I'st been a struggle but the manuscript is much better for the process.
DeleteThank you Jo! I’ve NEVER written down my goals. They’ve floated around in some non-existent time. A few years ago, God gave me your covering scripture and I knew my memoir was to be ‘written on a tablet’ (eBook) but it’s still languishing some 27 years after God told me to start writing it.
ReplyDeleteI bought ‘Though the Bud be Bruised’ and have passed it along. Magnificent memoir! Helped me much! (There I go… I never get A Round Tuit, to review in Goodreads…)
So you’ve prompted me to write the vision. Set the goals! Thank you.
What an encouraging comment. I trust you can write some goals. My last blog on this site looked at making SMART goals. Go back and read. One of the important things is a time line. Decide to do each step by a certain time.
ReplyDeleteYou only came up as ‘anonymous’
To stop blogger doing that you tough little arrow on right and add your name.
But I’m praying anyway for you to start writing. Blessings.