I talk a lot on my blog about goal setting and leadership and positive attitude. This comes from my desire to be successful and to help others along the way. But what comes next? You can’t just set a goal and then sit back and wait for it to come to fruition. Or can you?? Of course not, I think we’ve all tried that one before and found it doesn’t work. So then what is next? That’s right, you have to have a plan.
but how do we do this? Well here is something that was shared with me this evening in a Bible Study Class that I attend on Wednesday evenings. It has four parts and is based on the actions of Eliezer in Genesis Chapter 24, specifically verses 10-14. Eliezer was Abraham’s oldest servant and was tasked to find Abraham’s son, Isaac, a wife. So he was given his goal, much like most of us are given a task to do. So what did he do about it?
1. Made a Plan: He gathered 10 camels in preparation for the trip and loaded all the stuff he thought he might need, including gifts for the family of the Bride to be. Notice that his plan started with his own action, he had to go to a distant land to find Isaac’s bride. He didn’t wait around to be teleported or for the Bride to come to him. He went after it with action. How many times do we sit by and wait for things to happen to us? We have to take that step and show our willingness to go get what we want.
2. Submitted the plan to God: Once he reached his destination, he prayed to God and shared this plan with God. While on his journey, I’m sure that he had plenty of time to think about how in the world would he pick the right person for Isaac. And we’re the same way. We set off on these adventures and get over whelmed with everything, wondering how we are ever going to be able to reach our goal.
3. Prayed for guidance: After he shared his plan with God, he ask for guidance. He asked for a specific outcome so that he would know that this was the one. See the well, gave him an idea on how to find the right woman for Isaac. But instead of waiting there and taking just anyone, Eliezer prayed for a specific sign from God that he had the right woman. How many times do we pray and ask for something but are very vague about what we are asking for? God please just help me to make it to my next payday or help me find a new job versus, please God help me find a way to serve others and make an extra $100 this month or please allow the door to be opened for a position that will allow me to use my talents to serve you and others. I know in my life some of the things that I have gotten, have been times when I had something specific in my mind and asked for it.
4. Devised a strategy with room for God to operate: He had a plan and was ready to execute it. His plan allowed for enough action on his part but still allow God’s will to be present. He specifically outlined a plan and asked God for a sign that he would know when the right woman was presented to him. This left plenty of room for God to show his power and will. This would lead me to ask myself, “for all the times that a pray didn’t come true, was it because I was so limiting for what God can and wanted to do in my life?” What if God wants you to be the next CEO of Microsoft or Apple, or maybe to be the leader of the local Feed the Homeless ministry in your area? But you have limited yourself to making just enough money to live paycheck to paycheck.
These four things really spoke with me and give me a new look on my goals and what I have been trying to accomplish in my life. I hope this will help you with reaching your goals along the way.
I appreciate your feedback and or thoughts on this topic. Please leave me comments below.
