My Life Vision

The things I hope for are Christ-like or Christ-honoring, but that must not be my goal.

July 15

I have set the vision for my life too low. I thought since my goal was what God wanted, even how he designed life to be, I was on the right path. But, I need to set my sights higher. My goal for marriage was to have an intimate, close relationship. To give and receive unconditional love for each other. Two becoming one. To have a shared mission. To be the kind of wife that would inspire her husband to draw closer to God. This sounds good right.

As a mother, I want to raise my children to love God. I don't just want to teach them about who God is, I want to live out my faith in such a way that they want to join me, and surrender their lives to Christ as well.

I aspire to be the kind of friend that loves and supports her friends always. For the friends that know and love Christ, iron sharpens iron. For the friends that don’t know Christ to be a beacon of light to lead them to Him.

In my, want the love of Christ to so flow from me that others are drawn to Christ.

These are just short examples of where my heart is. These goals and vision for my life always seemed right. They lined up with what God intended. So what’s the problem?

My desires are good. My motives were as good as a person living in this world could be. But I couldn’t make any of the results I was longing for happen, not in my marriage, with my children, or friends. My love isn’t perfect. I don’t have the wisdom to teach or guide perfectly. I can’t make my children choose to follow Christ. I can point a friend to Christ, I can’t make them follow Him or surrender and live for Him. No matter how well I love someone, I can’t make them love me back. My love can’t heal their hearts. So when I don’t have the power to make my goal happen, to bring about my vision for my children, friends, or even my husband, I grow weary. When my vision is something only God can do, I set myself up for disappointment. Hope deferred makes the heart sick. I can not carry this burden. It is not mine to carry.

My new goal is to allow every relationship and situation to draw me closer to God. Every circumstance, whether pleasant or painful is to make me more like Christ. When It comes to pain, God is signaling that something needs to be addressed in me. I do not want to make light of pain. But I have learned the purpose of pain. Often, pain points to a problem. If I ask My Counselor and Comforter, “Why am I feeling this way?” He can point me to a deeper healing than just dealing with the surface issue of my discomfort. The pain is a signal, a warning to stop and if we are willing, there is more work to do. If I let Him, no matter how deep the hurt if I go to Him He will draw me close. He can take my brokenness and make me whole.

The goal is to always be more like Christ. Crucify or kill all that is not Christ-like. When my vision is to be crucified with Christ in order to become the woman that He intended me to be, a woman that is whole and free, I can choose to partner with my savior to make it happen. This is within my reach. The beauty is that those other goals and dreams I have for the people I love can happen as well. It’s a bonus. Some of the things I hope for are Christ-like or Christ-honoring, but that must not be my goal. My goal is to become more like Christ.