I am really bad at setting goals. Part of me thinks its because I hate setting myself up for disappointment but another part thinks it’s because I don’t think I’m worth the effort that it takes to get the things I want. Both parts are pretty accurate. One says I don’t believe in myself and the other says I don’t even want to try. Those thoughts are pretty familiar to me and they seem to always turn up right when the going gets tough. I really want those thoughts to be replaced with God thoughts, but changing that pattern feels like another goal that I need to set. Ah! This sounds terrible. Does anyone else feel this way? It’s okay if you don’t.
Today I went to church and the message was about love. (Awesome) This is the passage that the minister spoke from.
1 John 4:7-10
7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
One of the main points that the minister spoke about was something so many wise people understand, love changes people. A Jesuit priest on the streets of Los Angeles only saw changes in gang members he was ministering to when they began to understand that they were loved and worth that love. Several people in the congregation shared their thoughts on the message. I loved what one person said. “Sometimes we are too hard on ourselves”. I started to get an image of water moving over stones in a river. The current gentle but steady. Changing the land, moving things around, washing over everything. I felt a sense of peace that this is how God’s love moves in us. He is a river where mercy flows, gently changing us, without harshness or interruption, never-ending. My inside goal is to always let his love run through me.
My most recent external goal is this:
Raise $3,900 dollars before September 25th
(also, have a fundraising event)
If you would like to support me in this journey please donate by pressing the “support” button at the top of the page. Every single dollar helps! If you are still reading this, THANK YOU! Sharing my thoughts through blog is really kind of scary. I trust that God is working through me, for me, with me always and forever. Peace be with you!
