Goals and Goal Setting
The more I think about our predilection towards goal setting, the more I think we miss the point about how we respond to God's invitation to participate with God in God's mission. By this I do not mean that we become directionless, because we need to be guided, directed by God's telos in all that we do and are (this is different from purpose-driven).
It seems that goal setting, no matter how prayerful we are about it, is about our setting some point in the future to which we will walk to, work towards, strive towards so that we can measure the success of our activity when we reach or do not reach the particular goal. In a real way, we not only set the goal, but then set the course, the means, etc by which to reach that goal. And this to my thinking opens us up to taking charge of our lives, rather than discovering what it means to live directed by the Spirit day to day.
What if we approached the days of our lives more strategically (not strategic planning --that is the same as goal setting, but engaging life strategically, thinking strategically). By this I mean as we start our days we ask the Spirit of God to direct our days in light of God's telos, God's mission. Yes, we have our appointments and plans for the day, time with the kids, time with our spouses, sermons and bible studies to prepare for -- but these are our rhythms of where God has placed us. Yet, in those rhythms we seek to be guided not by the goals we set, but that which God desires to do in the world using us. This opens us up not just to see what we seek (our goals) but to be open to what God is saying and doing, which we are called to participate together with God in enacting. Our days then become less goal or purpose oriented (if our purposes are what we purpose), and more God-telos oriented. In this way we develop our abilities to have ears that hear and eyes that see more clearly what God is doing and to what God is calling us to. Our day is less filled with interruptions, and filled more with seeing the wonder of God unfold before us and involving us.
What is behind all this is the numerous development processes I have been a part of over the years, such as Faculty Action Plans, etc which call for goal setting, etc. These things stick you in a certain direction (unless you keep changing the goals to match where God is leading -- which makes then these goal setting exercises "busy work" just so you can have successful evaluations), directions which may if strictly followed, possibly grieve the Spirit in relation to the direction God desires to lead you in.
Goal setting also makes us lazy -- once a goal is set we do not necessarily yield ourselves everyday to the leading of the Spirit, because we know what we are going to do.
Now this is not to say we go around doing what we feel like. No, it is rather to say that our telos, our "goals" if you will are not directed by us, but instead life in the Spirit is filled with direction and purpose and accomplishment if we are sensitive to that which the Spirit leads us in. Goal setting sometimes seems far easier to do than being sensitive to the Spirit -- it places us in control.
Your response?
It seems that goal setting, no matter how prayerful we are about it, is about our setting some point in the future to which we will walk to, work towards, strive towards so that we can measure the success of our activity when we reach or do not reach the particular goal. In a real way, we not only set the goal, but then set the course, the means, etc by which to reach that goal. And this to my thinking opens us up to taking charge of our lives, rather than discovering what it means to live directed by the Spirit day to day.
What if we approached the days of our lives more strategically (not strategic planning --that is the same as goal setting, but engaging life strategically, thinking strategically). By this I mean as we start our days we ask the Spirit of God to direct our days in light of God's telos, God's mission. Yes, we have our appointments and plans for the day, time with the kids, time with our spouses, sermons and bible studies to prepare for -- but these are our rhythms of where God has placed us. Yet, in those rhythms we seek to be guided not by the goals we set, but that which God desires to do in the world using us. This opens us up not just to see what we seek (our goals) but to be open to what God is saying and doing, which we are called to participate together with God in enacting. Our days then become less goal or purpose oriented (if our purposes are what we purpose), and more God-telos oriented. In this way we develop our abilities to have ears that hear and eyes that see more clearly what God is doing and to what God is calling us to. Our day is less filled with interruptions, and filled more with seeing the wonder of God unfold before us and involving us.
What is behind all this is the numerous development processes I have been a part of over the years, such as Faculty Action Plans, etc which call for goal setting, etc. These things stick you in a certain direction (unless you keep changing the goals to match where God is leading -- which makes then these goal setting exercises "busy work" just so you can have successful evaluations), directions which may if strictly followed, possibly grieve the Spirit in relation to the direction God desires to lead you in.
Goal setting also makes us lazy -- once a goal is set we do not necessarily yield ourselves everyday to the leading of the Spirit, because we know what we are going to do.
Now this is not to say we go around doing what we feel like. No, it is rather to say that our telos, our "goals" if you will are not directed by us, but instead life in the Spirit is filled with direction and purpose and accomplishment if we are sensitive to that which the Spirit leads us in. Goal setting sometimes seems far easier to do than being sensitive to the Spirit -- it places us in control.
Your response?
posted by Roland G. Kuhl at 6:56 AM
4 Comments:
Hey Roland -
We are pretty fond of being in control, I think. That's where our western and excessive fondness for goal setting comes in. You pointed out, rightly, that once a roup or organization embrances a goal, it takes beaucoup work and endless meetings to reverse course.
So how does a Spirit-led person stay that way in our goal-addicted culture? Or, to be more specific, since you're primarily targeting your remarks to present and future pastors, is it possible to give a couple of examples of how to shift from an agenda-driven, measurable-goal type of ministry to one that listens to the Holy Spirit's leading? What does it look like?
Whoa! Typos!
"...once a GROUP or organization EMBRACES..."
I guess we need to keep in mind that our agendas and plans don't always or necessarily agree with God's.
I have heard that in combat, all plans change after the first shot is fired. The Spirit-led person will realize this because being Spirit-led doesn't mean we see the whole picture. One of the dimensions of being Spirit-led is understanding and accepting that God knows better and that responding in faith and trust is what God requires.
He doesn't need out plans. We need His. Maybe Acts 16:6-10 can give some light here. Paul was defintely being led by the Spirit. Maybe we need to look at Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. He was led by the Spirit into that arena.
Being led by the Spirit may not make sense to our puny minds and hearts. But God doesn't always want us to understand. In fact, in the situations I noted, He didn't ask anybody if they agreed or understood.
Hmmm.
Hi Roland. How 'bout another post & an email update for your readership?
Life & peace brother!
- John
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