The Key to an Unfailing Goal

It’s incredible the amount of times I hear the same question over and over being asked —

“What are your goals?”

Of course, what they all mean is a relatively simple question and more often than not, referring to a job title, an activity that wants to be accomplished, or maybe even a physical state with your body. The usual answers include “I want to be a doctor”, “I want to open a business”, “I want to go sky diving”, “I want to have a family”, and so on and so on. And sure, all of those things are great goals for someone and I’m sure create extreme drive and hard work to be able to accomplish.

But every time I hear someone answer that question with such a specific statement, I can’t help but create a vision in my mind of that person achieving that goal… And then what? What’s next? And what happens if the goal can’t be achieved? Are you a failure? Do you make a new one, and then accomplish that, and just continue on with the pattern?  Or even worse, what if you don't even know of a goal for yourself? I’ll never know, and quite frankly, I don’t want to have the opportunity to answer it for myself. The biggest issue lies in the fact that we are so consumed with first figuring out what we do instead of who we actually are. 

For me, I want something real. Something more impactful. Something that can never be taken away from me, nor forgotten in the minds of the ones around me. Something that makes me wake up every day and elevates me from one level to the next. Something that even if my entire physical world were to fall apart, and I was left with nearly nothing, I would still find myself going back to the same fulfilled feeling as if I were at the top of the mountain. But most importantly, I want it to stop being about me. I want to stop thinking about my wants, and my aspirations. It shouldn’t be about me. To me, when you realize that, you’ve found the key to the best goal in the world. The key is to ask yourself- “What does this world need?”

MY ONLY GOAL IS ONLY ONE THING. TO LOVE. AND SO SHOULD YOURS.

When you decide to love the world, and not just yourself, everything else seems to fall into place. Your happiness. Your achievements. Your goals. It all is created through such a powerful thing that God placed us on this earth to do- To love. One. Another.

When you choose love, your joy is unconditional. It is not attached to your job. It is not attached to your significant other. It is not attached to the amount of gifts you are able to give someone for Christmas. It’s not even attached to your physical attributes. At the end of the day, your joy should only be attached to an everlasting mindset, something that can never be taken away from you.

And when you choose to love, you are not choosing just your closest friends or family, who have always been there for you and supported you. You’re also including the ones who have hurt you, denied you, or maybe even doubted you at one point or another. Loving the ones who may not be the easiest to love can be one of the hardest battles you have to face, but it also includes the greatest victory. The biggest lie you could ever tell yourself is that you deserve love and grace more than someone who wronged you. Because in reality, none of us deserve it-- We all mess up. We all speak out of terms. We all hurt people. But at the end of the day, our love is shown through our words and actions. If we lived like we

When you choose to love, you are choosing to love others in a way that speaks to them, not just to yourself. It’s the card you write to the person who loves to be told they are appreciated. It’s the dishes you clean up for the one who sees you caring by s simple act. Or maybe it’s the simple hug you can give to someone who feels instant hope and relief by just a touch.

When you choose to love, you are creating a light in the darkness. A light in the outside world, and even if you realize it or not, in your own as well.

So what are your goals? Are they tied to one specific thing? Think about if that goal was never completed and how you would feel. Or if you did accomplish it, and it was taken away—where does your heart go?

Today, choose joy. An everlasting joy. And only through the most powerful source on the planet- love. 

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” — JOHN 13:34 ESV