I’m pretty sure my face betrayed my surprise.
But this statement. Coming from this person. It was just a little hard not to react.
See, their goal was good — to be a youth pastor someday. The problem was that I saw absolutely no steps being made toward that goal. None. This adult person didn’t even go to church half the time. They showed zero interest in young people. To my knowledge they had never made any effort to serve, lead, plan, or teach in any capacity in a local church.
So I was left wondering how they thought they would get from point A to point B. I can only assume they thought one day they would just wake up and be in the position they had hoped for. Or at the very least they thought a day would come when they would feel really inspired to do the hard stuff like actually go to church and maybe even talk to young people, and then they could start working their way toward bigger and better things.
But you know as well as I do that it doesn’t work that way. As much as I would love to wake up one morning all trim and fit and hungry for nothing but fresh vegetables and ice water, it isn’t going to happen. If I want to be trim and fit, there are steps I’ll have to take to get there. There are no quick fixes for being overweight and out of shape! The solution is a process, and the process is a series of very intentional steps.
If I have a goal for the New Year — or for a time beyond that — whatever that goal may be, I have to start taking some intentional steps toward it or I will never arrive at my destination.
- If I want to get in shape, I have to start exercising.
- If I want to get out of debt, the silly spending has to stop and the saving start.
- If I want to downsize, I have to begin going through the boxes.
- If I want to start the business, I have to start making the phone calls.
- If I want to find a new job, I have to start filling out applications.
- If I want to develop a prayer life, I have to start praying.
- If I want to know my Bible better, I have to start reading and studying my Bible.
You know this, right? Of course you do. We ALL know it takes intentional steps to get us to our goal.
But it’s so easy to get sidetracked. Or to think it will be easier to start tomorrow. And we never start moving toward the things we’d like to accomplish.
So this is my simple encouragement to you: Make the call. Cut up the credit card. Open the Bible.
Step intentionally. And accomplish great things in 2019.
