October 29, 2011

Goals - Purposes

St Charles River - Quebec City
For the past 6 weeks, dear friends (from across the country) and I have been studying 1 John. My small group happens to be close friends from my home church, and it has been such a blessing to keep in contact this way. For me, it has meant so much to share in what God is teaching them about His Word! This morning, I read a short devotional that is related to 1 John 2 & 3, where John is talking about living for Christ. What does that mean? What is our purpose in life? Should our life-goals be different than nonbelievers? What should our priorities be?

Thought I would share it here:

When  I look back on my life nowadays, which I sometimes do, what strikes me forcibly about it is that what seemed at the time most significant and seductive, seems now most futile and absurd. For instance, success in all of its various guises; being known and being praised; ostensible pleasures, like acquiring money or seducing women, or traveling, going to and fro in the world and up and down in it like Satan, exploring and experiencing whatever Vanity Fair has to offer. In retrospect all these exercises in self-gratification seem pure fantasy, what Pascal called "licking the earth." They are diversions designed to distract our attention from the true purpose of our existence in this world, which is, quite simply, to look for God, and, in looking, to find Him, and having found Him, to love Him, thereby establishing a harmonious relationship with His purposes for His creation. -- Malcolm Muggeridge


As a mother I tend to set pretty high goals for myself and my children, and quite frankly it can set us up for disaster because they just aren't practical very often. However, when I sit back and really assess what is important and what I want to accomplish and just focus on that, it is slightly less chaotic.

What are your goals with your children? Are you purposing to focus on those things that are most worth-while? I have been challenged by this thought lately as we are still in the throes of transition in Quebec and will soon be in a more permanent home in Africa. Maybe there will be more thoughts on this later .... ... . if I have time :)

2 comments:

Michael Eckert said...

I don't know what to say, but I liked that quote, and find it true for myself.
Also the part you wrote about just focusing on what is really import an and not setting huge goals...children are only young once.

Michael Eckert said...

'important', silly Mac auto correct...