Gospel Centered Goal Setting

The talks at church today were about goal setting and the lesson in priesthood continued the theme. I had a few thoughts as I listened to the talks. First, a favorite verse in Proverbs: "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Proverbs 29:18). I think this applies to the need for revelation, but also to the need for dreams and expectations for life.

The Pearl of Great Price makes clear that creation is a two step process. Things must be created spiritually before they are created physically. That is true of planets and lives. Having a vision allows us to backwards engineer our lives. We can see where we want to be and the gap between where we now reside. Then we can see what steps are necessary to get there.

The marathon runner Juma Ikangaa, said, "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." Success takes work, and we have been sent to succeed in this life. One thing mentioned during priesthood was that we need to remember our Patriarchal Blessings. Many promises rest on hearkening to the "if" statements in those blessings.

The most important thing when setting goals is to seek the Spirit as a guide. When we have a goal, Alma 32 is a guide to accomplishing it.

We need to awake and arouse our faculties and peform an experiment on the goal. Then, if we exercise a particle of faith and can no more than desire to accomplish the goal, that desire can work in us until we are able to move forward (see Alma 32:27).

Goals, like the word of God, can be likened to a seed, especially if the goal was inspired by the Spirit. If goals are good and true, they can be planted in our hearts. Then if we do not cast the goal out by our unbelief, they can swell within us until they make us better than we were. Good goals will enlarge our souls and enlighten our understandings (see Alma 32:28).

As we accomplish different goals, we will be able to know that we have been inspired in setting those goals. Our ability to envision and attain new goals will increase (see Alma 32:34).

Whenever we set goals but neglect them, they will not take root and grow. Any trial that comes along will scorch them like the hot sun on a malnourished plant (see Alma 32:38).

This is not because accomplishing the goal would not have been good in our lives, but our ground was barren. If we don't nourish the tree, we can't expect any fruit from it (see Alma 32:39).

As we set goals and nourish them with great diligence, patience, and faith, they will begin to spring up in us creating great strength (see Alma 32:41).

The Spirit can inspire goals of all kinds: education, exercise, diet, relationships, church service, and whatever else could improve our lives. But with Spirit-inspired goals, it is vital that they are not cast away like typical New Year resolutions. Making and keeping commitments to the Lord is at the center of the Restored Gospel.