I am taking some time this week to review 2009 and look ahead to 2010. While there are many that downplay the practice of making resolutions, there is a lot of evidence that committing goals to paper (or computer screen) increases the likelihood that those goals will be realized. As I review, I feel encouraged by those goals that I have realized. Tomorrow, I will complete my goal to read through the Bible in 2009.
Two quotes also challenge me. John Kotter, professor at Harvard, made the observation that "Most people don't lead their own lives - they accept their lives." Proverbs 21:5 says, "The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.
I have decided that I don't want to "accept" my life. So, with God's help, and through planning, diligence, personal leadership, and accountability, I want to move into 2010 with anticipation, excitement and joy. In the coming weeks, I will plan to post some of those goals that I am pursuing in the new year.
Great post, Tim! Two other quotes come to mind when I think of the God-given power we have to pursue the life he has called us to.
"Most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself rather than talking to yourself." Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones in Spiritual Depression, Its Cause and its Cure
And then there's the wonderful C.S. Lewis: "When mediocrity is the norm, it is not long before mediocrity is the ideal." Can you imagine pursuing mediocrity? Yet, so often, that is what we settle for because we don't envision anything greater.
I'm looking forward to partnering with you and others in the coming year as we pursue the best that God has in store for us. I pray that he will bless your efforts, Tim!
Posted by: Ken Stewart | 31 December 2009 at 02:14 PM