The Unattainable Goal

A friend once shared with me his philosophy on goal setting.  He shared that when making a goal, we should choose a short-term goal, a long-term goal, and an unattainable goal.  The short and long-term goals are pretty self-explanatory.  But an unattainable goal?  I remember our discussion about what this meant to him.  An unattainable goal is a goal which seems nearly impossible to reach.  No matter how many hours of work and planning you put towards this goal, you cannot expect to accomplish it.  But the discipline you master throughout the process teaches a lesson more valuable than the goal itself.

A perfect relationship with God is my unattainable goal.  I will explore my Bible, communicate in prayer, serve and worship on Sunday, exemplify the “Christian” persona…yet I will still fall short.  Every hour, every day, every year.  I will never do enough to reach the deep relationship Christ shared with our Lord.  The consequence of sin frustrates me.  In my mind, I know the right choices, but acting upon them is the challenge.  In my quiet time, I discover my weaknesses with God and with others.  I ask for guidance to work through my shortcomings and for awareness of my actions throughout the day.  I cannot overcome sin.  I cannot give to my Father what he gave me.  But guess what?  THAT’S OK.  I John 4 speaks of God’s love.  He=love.   He still loves the heart of His creation.

Every day, I will work on my unattainable goal.  And through the process, my hope will be to grow closer to God,  demonstrate a better attitude, be more patient with others, etc.  I can’t achieve a perfect relationship, but I can hope for a relationship that will delight my Lord.