Whether I’m setting yearly/quarterly/monthly goals or making my plans for each day, I always want to make sure they’re in line with Kingdom priorities. Here are 5 steps I’ve learned to take (and ones you can take, as well) to set gospel-centered goals for the new year.
**Links in this post may be affiliate links. This means that if you click that link and purchase the product, I may receive a small compensation. I am, however, committed to honestly assessing the products mentioned. Please read my disclosure policy for more details. **
Have you ever heard this quote:
“People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.” — Thomas Merton
That was me a little over a year ago. I had been trying so hard to achieve my goals, yet feeling like I was never really accomplishing anything. I assumed it was because I wasn’t working hard enough (or smart enough), or simply wasn’t good enough.
Frankly, I was ready to give up on goals altogether. They felt so arbitrary, and even when I did meet them, they did not bring the fulfillment I thought they would.
Then, I got my first PowerSheets Goal Planner, and after going through their goal-setting process, it all started to make sense. Everything felt like it was finally coming into focus, and I had an epiphany: I was leaning my ladder against the wrong building!
I was setting goals for things I thought mattered to me when, in fact, they were not really what I wanted my life to be about at all.
And I realized, what’s the point of achieving goals if they don’t accomplish what really matters? More specifically, what’s the point of achieving anything if my focus and purpose behind it is serving myself rather than God?
That has changed everything for me – how I work, how I plan, how I approach my day… and how I set my goals. Using what I’ve learned, here are a few tips for setting gospel-centered goals for the new year.
How to Set Gospel-Centered Goals for the New Year
Whether I’m setting yearly/quarterly/monthly goals or making my plans for each day, I always want to make sure they’re in line with Kingdom priorities. Here are 5 steps I’ve learned to take (and ones you can take, as well) to set gospel-centered goals for the new year.
1. Pray
This HAS to be our first step. We will not set Gospel-centered goals if we’re charging ahead out of our own desires and plans. Praying first before we set a single goal takes our focus off our will and puts it on God’s will, off our own human desires and onto God’s holy desires.
Over the years, I have compiled several Scriptures and prayers I use to center my planning and goal-setting on God. You can find quite a few of them here, and I’ll put the ones I’ve been using most recently at the bottom of this post.
2. Reflect
After we’ve prayed and asked God to align our hearts with His, we need to spend some time in serious reflection. We need to figure out what’s most important to us – what’s going to matter in 5, 10, 15 years? What’s going to matter for eternity? If you’re like me, you might be surprised by the answers – your priorities may be different than what you had previously thought!
In your reflection time, here are some questions to ask yourself:
- What season of life am I in, and what is most important right now? (Because the answer will change – sometimes drastically – in different seasons!)
- How can I promote the Gospel where I am, with what I have?
- Where have I been placing my own desires above God’s?
- What is God calling me to do – both in His Word (directives for everyone) and through His spirit (to me specifically)?
3. Set
Now it’s time to actually set the goals. There are a lot of resources out there to help guide you in this process. I am by no means a goal-setting expert, and getting into the nitty-gritty of setting “good” goals is beyond the scope of this article. So, I’ll leave that to people wiser than I am by sharing some helpful resources in just a moment.
But I will advise you to make your goals:
- Specific (for instance, rather than, “I want to grow my relationship with God,” you might make a goal to read your Bible X days a week.)
- Directly tied to the priorities you established in Step 2
- Realistic enough that you won’t set yourself up for failure, but stretching enough that you will be challenged.
Finally, break each of your goals down into bite-sized pieces. What action steps can you take each day, week, and month to work towards your goals? The smaller and more specific you can make these, the better!
Here are a few goal-setting resources I recommend:
- Michael Hyatt’s book, Your Best Year Ever
- Jon Acuff’s book Finish, and his podcast All It Takes is a Goal
- (webpage) Goal Setting: A Scientific Guide to Setting and Achieving Goals | James Clear, author of Atomic Habits
4. Revisit
Here’s the important step I forgot for a very long time – you have to revisit your goals throughout the year! Not only is it essential for remembering what you’re working towards (anyone else super quick to lose your focus in the busyness of everyday life??), but it allows you to re-evaluate your goals as needed.
Mom life can be wildly unpredictable. Unforeseen circumstances pop up, kids enter new (and sometimes challenging) phases, and family dynamics shift. Rather than resent those changes or try to force them into our established plans, we have to be flexible enough to adapt our goals to them.
We may also find that our priorities change throughout the year. What was important in January may not matter as much by July. God may also put something new in our hearts, prompting us in a different direction. We cannot be so stuck on our goals that we resist those nudges. We need to hold our plans with open hands, revisiting and revising our goals as needed throughout the year.
5. Pray
No, that’s not a typo or a mistake – our final step is to pray again, bookending our Gospel-centered goal-setting with prayer. After you’ve set your goals, ask God to equip you, guide you, strengthen you, and empower you as you work towards them. Pray that He will keep your heart responsive to adjustments and divine “interruptions.” And thank Him for the privilege and joy of partnering with Him in this important Kingdom work.
General Areas to Inspire Your Gospel-Centered Goals:
Are you wondering where to even start setting gospel-centered goals? As you follow Steps 1 and 2 above, God will certainly guide you, but here are some general areas to pray for God’s direction:
- Spiritual growth – Where/how do you need to grow in your walk with the Lord, what spiritual disciplines do you need to develop, and where do you sense Him leading you to make some changes?
- Family – What aspects of your marriage, parenting, or family could you improve this year? (Check out my post, 5 Family Resolutions to Make for the New Year, for some ideas!)
- Serving/doing good for others (1 Thess. 5:15) – How can you better serve others, who (specifically or generally) is God putting on your heart to reach, and how can you meet the needs around you?
- Work – How is God using your work for His glory? How do you feel Him equipping and preparing you for something He has called you to do, and how can you work with Him in that?
Helpful Resources:
- She Works His Way – I can’t recommend this book highly enough! If you desire to do gospel-centered work that is full of Kingdom purpose, you need to read this book. Also, check out their podcast by the same name.
- PowerSheets Intentional Goal Planner – These are a bit pricey, so I probably won’t get one every year, but my first one was instrumental in aligning my goals with what really mattered to me.
- “3 Questions for Setting God-Centered Goals” – This is a great article from The Gospel Coalition.
Verses & prayers I use to center my goals on God
Here are a few of the Scriptures I use as I plan and set goals:
- Psalm 20:4 & 37:4 — I pray that my desires will align with God’s desires.
- Psalm 33:11 — Meditating on this verse gives me eternal perspective.
- Psalm 127:1 — This verse reminds me that unless God is the architect, builder, and foundation of my plans, anything I work towards will be in vain.
- Proverbs 16:3 — I commit all my goals, plans, and efforts to the Lord.
- Proverbs 16:9 — I may think I know what I want and need, but God determines my steps. And I wouldn’t have it any other way! His path is always the best path!
- 1 Corinthians 10:31 — Whatever I do, I should do for the glory of God.
Here are some of the quick prayers I pray:
- Lead me and guide me into Your plans and purposes for my life. May they be YOUR plans and not my own.
- Speak to me and help me hear you clearly.
- Grow me, stretch me, and challenge me.
- Help me set goals that require a reliance on You, but also give me wisdom to know when I’m attempting too much.
- Guide me in setting goals that are: Christ-honoring, faith-filled, in my own lane, and eternally/Kingdom-focused.
- Mold my heart and mind to line up with Yours.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
- 13 Scriptures to Dedicate Your Day
- What You NEED to Remember As You Set Next Year’s Goals
- Apologetics Resources for Christian Moms
- How to Make a Family Discipleship Plan
- How to Faithfully Steward Our Children
Share your thoughts!