A New (to me) Song
I have to say I was super excited about finding a song that I love... I'd heard snippets of it for
the first time as part of a presentation about goals at a sales meeting over ten years ago, and
never knew what the song was. Just lately I heard it in something I was streaming-I've already
forgotten which show-BUT, I was able to google the episode and find the song! When my
daughter and son-in-law stopped by last night, I told them about it. I found the Goals song!
And my daughter just laughed... "You do remember the last time you 'quote' found a new
song? Right?" Complete with air quotes, she mocked me. Yes... It was "Kiss from a Rose" by
Seal. "When you mentioned it to me, what did I say?" she asked. "Well, you laughed at me and
said, "You realize that song is over twenty years old, right?" Daughters have this way of
making you feel old and out of touch, right!? "Don't mock me little girl, I changed your
diapers!"
However, I must admit it... I'm culturally illiterate to modern music, anything past 1990, really.
I had Stuff going on, OK!? I was the mom of littles, I was homeschooling, I discovered
audiobooks (OK it was books on cd's then), and I was quilting, A lot. Who had time for
radio!?! There was no streaming, no iTunes. Primitive times really. It was the season of Steve
on Blue's Clues and Veggie Tales. I didn't have time for Casey Kasem's American Top 40. I
think he was still on back then. I have zero regrets. (lol)
So I find old songs that are new to me as I stream old shows. I just downloaded Adele's
"Rolling in the Deep" which is great, circa! I heard an indie song on the show "Numbers" that I
liked, called Maybe, Maybe, by Nico Stai. It was from 2008. And my newest oldest find is...
drum roll please....
Clocks by Coldplay. Ta Da!! As I shared my find with Emily and Josh, they laughed, of
course, and reminded me how out of touch I am. Sure, sure. I was busy that decade. I said, "I
don't get it! Why is Coldplay the butt of jokes? I've heard them made fun of a bunch of times,
and I don't understand." "Well," says my son-in-law, "it's not like they're Nickleback." (As if
that statement illuminated anything for me!). He went on to explain their pop sound and
popularity, why they were often sorta dismissed, and congratulated me for finding them. Lol
Interestingly enough, Clocks was the song I heard in a video about goals at the Sales Meeting
back in 2013. By then it was already ten or eleven years old, so it makes sense that it would pop
up in something not-pop-music related. The instrumental parts of the song was used in the
video, and I remember being captivated by both the music-those keyboard open chords are the
bomb-diggity! - and the practical application about reaching your goals. "Goals are like a
magnet," the screen displayed, "drawing you to achieve them" with the piano riff/instruments in
the background. Wanna remember something, put some cool music to it, and recall is instantly
improved!
Hearing the song takes me back to the excitement I felt about setting and achieving my goals. I
have a love/hate relationship with goals, do you know what I mean? I hate the expectation that
if you are a successful person, you must have goals, and yet, having set and achieved goals, I
know they are valuable!
So it got me thinking, what does Scripture say about goals? I pulled out my trusty Strong's
Exhaustive Concordance, and Goal or Goals in the KJV? Forget about it! :) In the NIV...there
are some interesting verses that mention goals.
In Luke 13, some Pharisees come to warn Jesus that Herod wants to kill Him. Jesus's answer in
verse 32 is perfect snark: "Go tell that fox, 'I will keep on driving out demons and healing
people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.'" Jesus knew his end-
game. That old fox would not keep Jesus from His goal!
The next goal reference is from the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:6-9: "Therefore we are
always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the
Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away
from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are
are home in the body or away from it."
The goal, or goals, are important to Paul... the remainder of the references are also from his
letters. Galatians 3:3 says, "Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you
now trying to finish (finish can also be translated "attain your goal") by means of the flesh?"
In Philippians 3:14, Paul says, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has
call me heavenward in Christ Jesus." And finally, to Timothy, Paul instructs that people can't
be allowed to teach false doctrines, and in 1 Timothy 1:5, he urges, "The goal of this command
is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith."
Other verses imply that goals are a good thing. Proverbs 21:5 says "The plans of the diligent
lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty." In Luke chapter 14, the next chapter after his
message for Herod, Jesus lays out a scenario, that sounds very much like goal setting: "Suppose
one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you
have enough money to complete it? (Verse 28)... Or suppose a king is about to go to war against
another kings. Won't he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to
oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?" If our goal is to be a disciples, he
says, "In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my
disciples."
Noah had a goal, and Gideon had a goal, and David had a goal, and Solomon had a goal,
doesn't it sound like all God's children got goals?! :)
What can we glean about goals from these passages/scriptures?
1) Goals should be God-sourced. Both what we want to achieve and the resources needed to
achieve them! Henry Blackaby of Experiencing God fame would say it needs to be "God-
sized." When you think of the feats of the men and women in Scripture, they often
attempted things outside their comfort zone, a stretch beyond their abilities, and
sometimes beyond their imagination! An ark? Really? A giant laid low by a sling and
some stones? An massive army defeated with 300 men? A temple that was a wonder of
the ancient world? When was the last time God whispered something extraordinary to
you? It doesn't have to be extraordinary to anyone else, just to you. But extraordinary it
will be when completed!!
2) Goals are time-bound. Jesus had a finite number of days to complete His mission. We
have a set number of days, too. Best be about the Father's business!
3) Goals should be relational. Think partnerships... with the Lord, as our master and ultimate
accountability partner, and with others who may be a part of the process or who provide
support and encouragement. I love that Paul uses "we"-"WE make it our goal to please
Him..." Two are better than one," Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, "because they have a good return
for their labor."
4) Goals are transformational! I love Paul's query: Are you trying to attain the goal in your
own strength? The Spirit is doing a work, here! Let Him do His thang!... that's the Mary
Lou translation. I cannot think of a single time I reached for something extraordinary and
I wasn't changed through the process. Even back to my sales days...when I worked the
process, couldn't see where the results would from, and the seeming-miraculous
occurred, I grew in faith.
I admit being a little discouraged with the Smart Goals framework...Instead I developed the
GRITTE framework for God-Sourced/Sized, Relational, Identity Aligned, Transformational,
Time-Bound, and Evident. We explore these in the His Power At Work Mastermind.
Goals is the first (and free!) session of my 90-plus day mastermind based on Ephesians 3:14-21.
In the Goals homework and zoom session, we look at ways we can set goals differently, where
setting goals is an interactive process between you and the Father. Where results are not chased,
but our work is obedience and trust. Where systems and security and simplicity are hallmarks
are His Power at Work in you.
Not a goals gal? Check out the Goals session and the mastermind anyway! It will take you on a
spiritual journey that will deepen your faith and open your eyes to the possibilities!!
Like my discovery of a "new" song that's really old, the concepts you'll discover will be
ancient wisdom talked about in a different way. I think you'll love it!! Check out
talkandpray.us/mastermind for more information!
Let's pray!
Father,
Thank you for music both secular and sacred! A dear musician friend who's now home with
you once told me that Music was from You, that Your Word is full of references to singing, and
instruments, and the declarations of creation in music. And along comes a little thing called
String Theory-the universe really is vibrating and singing Your praise!
Thank you for ambition, and for the words in Scripture that caution us to be mindful of you as
we plan; to set goals as we hear from You, and to have the boldness to act on your work for the
extraordinary things You want to do in and through us.
Father, I pray for GRITTE goals, not relying on my own strength or wisdom, but walking in
step with You and the plans You have for me, plan to prosper me and not to harm me, plans for
a hope and a future. I can trust You to bring it about. It is Your good pleasure to do it. Give me
the courage to obey and follow You!
In Jesus' name, Amen
