Changing Goal Focus

As we approach the end of the year, I think about new year resolutions. I used to write these each year. My mom taught classes on goal-setting. She taught me, and I, in turn, taught others in college and later. I made goals in different life categories, that were SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, reasonable, and timely). Check out Goal-Setting and you can get an idea of what I mean. This link includes many Bible verses related to setting goals, too. (If you are really interested, here is a copy of my 2013 resolutions.)

I find value in goal-setting. I think it is important to have goals, so you have an idea of where you are going. But life has changed and has gotten busier. I found a few years ago that I was not doing well on meeting the goals I set any more. I would stumble across my list after months of not even remembering I had one, which means I was not working effectively toward my goals.

Oh sure, I have a lot of dreams or wishes about what I'd like to write down as my resolutions for 2018. I'd love to sew (hand and machine sewing), play the piano and oboe more, do more personal reading, do arts and crafts, play board and card games more often with the kids, learn how to knit and crochet better, exercise more regularly, declutter the house, get chores done more consistently...

But over the years, I've learned that I have not realistically worked on any of those well. The last couple years, I even changed the sewing one to "complete at least one sewing project this year." (I still have not accomplished even that one.) Yesterday, I started to contemplate about why this is the way things are going.

I started to think about my priorities and my life goals, not just my yearly ones. What is it that I want to accomplish in the long run? Here are the ones I've come up with so far:

1. I want to raise my children to know, love, and follow hard after Jesus.
2. I want to raise my children to be respectful, kind, generous individuals who care for the needs of others.
3. I want to educate my children well - academically and in other life skills (cooking, etc.)
4. I want to grow ever closer to God and live my life more fully for Him.
5. I want to grow closer to my husband, being a good helper for him and showing him more love and affection.
6. I want to show love to others and serve them in their times of need.
7. I want to see people grow in their relationships with Christ - for those who don't know Him to turn to Him and be saved, for those who do know Him to love and obey Him more - for everyone to know, love, and follow hard after Jesus.

So, at my stage in life, I'm going to find ways to work on these. Forgive the roughness of these, but I'm formulating them as I type this morning, and they don't follow the SMART design. I have another couple days to work on them, right?

1. I will continue morning devotionals with the children - at least five days a week, most weeks.
2. I will continue to encourage personal devotions for all family members and support them in their efforts.
3. I will be intentional about praying aloud with the kids throughout the day, and letting them see/hear me pray on my own as well.
4. I will continue to seek and provide opportunities for the children to serve beside my husband and me. I know they love the Caleb Luncheon, Fill-a-Backpack, Operation Christmas Child, handing out Mother's Day roses at church, etc. so we will plan to be involved in those kinds of activities in 2018.
5. I will continue to help the children learn respect and kindness through their interactions with each other, other family members, and those outside our family.
6. I will continue to educate them however the Lord leads us, being focused and diligent, showing interest in the learning and not just a check-list mentality.
7. I want to further develop spiritual disciplines (prayer, Bible study, fasting, etc.) to deeper my relationship with my heavenly Father, my Savior Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
8. I want to be able to push aside my busyness so that I may spend better time with my husband in the evenings and on weekends, giving him more of my attention and affection. I want him to know without a doubt how much I truly do adore him!
9. I want to continue taking meals to people, caring for babies, visiting church members who are home-bound, and serving in other ways to show the love of Christ to people.
10. I want to pray more consistently for specific people to turn to the Lord.
11. I want to help others deepen their relationship with God, increasing their spiritual disciplines and obedience to Him - living their lives more fully for Him as well.
12. I want to encourage my children to be creative and try new things - sew, build, sell/trade, etc.
13. I want to go to bed by 11:00 p.m. at least five nights a week.

How do I plan to accomplish all these? What are the specifics? Well, maybe I'll get more specific with them in the next couple days - but maybe I won't. As much as I value goal-setting, I also remember that I am not in control, God is, and I'm not going to allow myself to get upset or frazzled because everything doesn't go according to my plans.

Proverbs 19:21 - Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

Matthew 6:34 - Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

James 4:13-15 - Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

Mark 13:32 - "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (This refers to the second coming of Jesus, but I think it is a good reminder that we do not know the time limits set on our earthly futures.)

2 Corinthians 9:7 - Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (Whatever goals you set, work at them cheerfully.)

Colossians 3:17 - And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Make goals that will honor God.)

Galatians 6:8 - The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Again, make goals that will honor God.)

Galatians 6:9 - Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Make goals you won't give up on. Keep going!)

James 1:4 - Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  (Persevere!)

As much as this post has been about backing off some of my dream goals and resolutions, I want to issue a challenge that I made in the Goal-Setting post. If you are making goals/resolutions, consider making a goal you can't do on your own, without God revealing His power. What a testimony that would be, right?

Would you share some of your goals with me? I'd love to know what you are aiming for in this new year, and how I might be able to pray for you. Are you willing to make an only-with-God goal? If so, I want to know!

Blessings prayed for you in the new year.

Christmas Poems

Occasionally I write some poetry. I wanted to share a couple Christmas poems with you. If you read the last post, you know that I've been wanting to share these for a few weeks, but didn't sense God giving me the 'green light' yet. This week, He did.

Where is the Christ Child?

by Christa Shuman

December 2016

Where is the Christ child?

Is he under the tree?

Is he hiding among

All the presents I see?

Is he over there

Sitting upon the hearth,

Nestled amid the stockings

Full of treats that bring mirth?

Is he in the kitchen

Nibbling a turkey thigh,

Sneaking bites of stuffing,

Smelling all the pies?

Is he at the parties,

In the songs and games?

Does he really care

If we know the reindeers’ names?

Is he in our quiet times,

In Bible-reading and prayer,

The pageants and services?

We should find him there.

Where is the Christ child,

In which Christmas part?

No matter where I look

He’s always in my heart.

He is a babe no longer;

He grew to be a man.

He did amazing things

And fulfilled his Father’s plan.

And not only did he grow –

He died and lives again!

He died and paid the price

For my wrongs – I could not pay

And that is why I live for Him

Every single day.

So where is the Christ child?

Why, He’s in heaven above

Wanting you to join Him

Waiting patiently, with love.

(If you didn't get a chance to read "Where Was Jesus" from September, I invite you to read it now. It contains a similar theme.)


Here are a couple more short poems.

A cookie, a carol,

A card from a friend

These are all nice, it's true.

But the best Christmas treat

Has all of these beat

It's God's son, sent to earth - for you!
(Christa Shuman, Dec. 2017)



May we remember

That O holy night

When joy came to the world

And the star was shining bright

When angels sang triumphantly

And beckoned shepherds come

To a stable in Bethlehem

To see a babe - God’s Son.

(Christa Shuman, Dec. 2013)

I like this Christmas version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah song. Check it out!

Merry Christmas!!

It Just Takes One

Sometimes, I get a story stuck in my head, and I can't seem to let it go until I've worked it out to its end. Some of them, like the most recent one, start with a dream.

The night before last, I had a dream that there was a large organization of young men who were rallied together and had kidnapped several young women with plans to gouge out their eyes. (Maybe the history lessons that afternoon about jihad and the Armenian genocide during World War One didn't help...) There was an escape attempt by some of the women that was unsuccessful, and then I don't remember dreaming anything else about it.

But it was not a dream I could let end at that point. The story seemed to need to play out, so throughout the day, more would be added until it has finally almost reached it's culmination, and is definitely at a much better point. To skim through it for you, one young woman was strong in the Lord and found peace in the midst of the situation. She continued to pray and sing praises to the Lord. This made an impression on at least one of the captors and on the other women.

At a turning point in the story, when she was in trouble, women all over the compound were on their knees in prayer. She was also in prayer. The one captor on which she'd made a big impression asked her to speak her thoughts out loud. Her thoughts were prayers for all the captors, many of whom were in the room with her, and she prayed for them each by name. A change came over all of them. They ended up releasing her from the room, and later, releasing all the women from the compound, as well as any men who no longer wanted to stay, since their plans had now ceased and they no longer knew what was going to happen. The one woman, however, chose to stay.

She ended up leading two men, the one captor (James) and the leader of the organization of young men (Collin), to Christ and a relationship with God through Him. For a short time before the men turned themselves over to the police, she helped them grow through songs, prayers, and Bible studies. A pastor even came to visit and pray with them, amazed by the changed lives.

The men peacefully went to prison, willing to own up for their sins. Sister, as they now called her, promised to visit them. The transformation in the men led to them sharing Christ with others in the prison system. Visits from Sister and her pastor led to even more changes.

When the men were released from prison, James and Collin went to work at a company owned by Mr. Brian, (James' former employer). He was willing to hire James back, as well as hiring Collin, because he had heard of their changed lives and said, "Behind every great man is a great woman," recognizing the impact that Sister had made. As it goes on, because of the men's new lives for Christ, they had a huge, positive impact on the company's morale, production, etc.

It was at this point in the story, that God led me to a message: It Just Takes One.

It just took one woman who was faithful to the Lord, who would not let her peace be stolen from her, to make an impact and create change. Her impact changed the bad situation, an organization's plans of harm, a prison system, a major company, and many lives. Extended family members, and others who heard about it in the news, also came to seek Christ.

So what? It's just a made up story and doesn't mean anything, right? That kind of thing could never happen, right? Wrong!

I have read and heard a number of missionary stories with my children and I will tell you, every single one of them is about an individual who decided to step out on faith. There are some of them who were alone in their ministries. George Muller, Mary Slessor, David Livingstone, Gladys Aylward - these are just a few. Many of the individuals we consider Bible heroes (Joseph, Moses, Noah, and Paul, just to name a few) were really just ordinary individuals who loved God and followed Him. There are many more modern-day missionaries doing the same.

Not only that, there are people right around us in our local communities, every day, stepping out in faith and making a difference for Christ in the relationships around them. That's all it takes - stepping out in faith. Listen for the prompting of the Holy Spirit and go where He leads. Help that person you see in need. Give a smile and a kind word to the grouchy-looking cashier or waiter/waitress. Offer to pray for - and with - people.

For the past couple weeks, I've been wanting to share some of my Christmas poetry with you, but God never hit the "Go" button on that. Last night, He hit the "Go" button on this story. Is He hitting a "Go" button in your life today? What is He prompting you to do? Be the change. Make an impact. God can use even you.

It just takes one.


Isaiah 6:8  Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"