“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV)
I have been dreading writing this post.
All week, I have been seeing people’s social media posts about preparing for 2022 and setting goals for the new year. After all, as an authorpreneur, I have to hold myself accountable and make sure I’m accomplishing all of the things. I don’t have a boss in the traditional sense of the word, so if I don’t make myself work, it doesn’t get done. We have SMART goals, yearly goals, monthly goals, weekly goals, and sometimes even daily goals.
Enter pressure and guilt over the things that aren’t getting done. Ugh!
In November, I set a goal of “winning” NaNoWriMo by writing 50,000 words. Then my entire family got covid. In December, I set several goals, one of which was to write 20,000 words. Then my entire family got hit with a mystery virus that made us all sicker than we were with covid. I obviously didn’t know that either of those things were coming, but God did.
As I scrolled through my Instagram account for inspiration, I read many of the things God was speaking to me earlier in 2021. Do you know that the majority of those things were about spending time with Him and not worrying about doing all the things? Rereading some of those exhortations and Scriptures that He had shared with me made me realize that I can set all the goals and make all the plans and do all the things, but without Him, it’s all useless. “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” Psalms 127:1 (NKJV)
I’m not saying that goal setting is never beneficial.
I think goals can be great. They point us in the direction we need to go and keep us on task along the way. For someone who is very “works” oriented, like me, that can be a detriment. It creates situations where you’re so focused on the end that you might miss other things that God is trying to show you. Just like the verse in Hebrews says, I believe that goals can become a weight to us in these circumstances. This revelation has so freed me that I’ve determined to have only one goal for all of 2022. Ready for it?
Every day I want to draw closer to God.
The author of Hebrews urges us to look to Jesus once we throw off those weights. I may not always know what lies ahead of me, but I know that He does. He cares about what happens with my family, my marriage, my relationships, and even my writing and publishing. I’m putting my trust in Him to point me in the ways I need to go.
Will I have SMART goals and monthly goals and weekly goals and daily goals in 2022? Probably. But none of that will supersede my main goal for the year. I refuse to get so caught up in doing things for Him that I’m not spending time with Him. “There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—That will stand.” Proverbs 19:21 (NKJV)
