Goals are worth setting for our physical, spiritual health

It is hard to believe we are ready to welcome the year 2020. As we approach the New Year, I wonder how many people made bold and courageous plans five or so years ago that were to be met by the year 2020. My guess is that many of those plans and goals were not obtained. Let me ask a question, if you set a goal and you fall short of that goal, are you a failure? Is it better to just sit back and put no effort into anything for fear that it may not pay off in the end? I think the Bible speaks to us about setting goals in Philippians 3:12-14:

"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

I am convinced that it is better to set a goal and fall short than it is to coast through life. I was thinking about the subject of New Year's resolutions. Every year, I resolve to lose weight, and I finally put in a serious effort in 2019. Thankfully, I did not have a health crisis. As a matter of fact it was the avoidance of such that motivated me in the first place. I met with a group of my mentors in San Diego, California in April. Most of those pastors are about 10 to 15 years older than I am. Some have been battling health conditions associated with high stress levels that ministers face. They have emphasized, over the years, that we need to take care of ourselves so that we may serve others well.

One of the pastors told us how he just barely avoided a fatal heart attack. A colleague advised him to go see a doctor about his shortness of breath and chest pain. He ended up having open heart surgery -- his physician told him that he was fortunate to still be alive. Compelled by his story, I made a doctor's appointment as soon as I got back to Cape Girardeau. That was the beginning of my weight loss transformation. Thankfully, all of my indicators were good, but my high body mass index was setting me up for future problems. For the first time since I can remember, losing weight is no longer a goal. The challenge will be keeping off the 50 pounds I lost.

It is easy to say, "I have tried before and failed, so there is no reason to try again." I am thankful that I did not give up. The Apostle Paul kept trying to grow in his Christian faith knowing that he wasn't perfect. As a matter of fact, he was haunted by his past. For those who are not familiar with his story, Paul (aka Saul) was opposed to Christianity at first. He was present at the martyrdom of Stephen -- one of the first deacons. He was actively seeking out followers of Jesus to have them arrested. Suddenly his hatred turned to love. Jesus miraculously confronted him on the road leading to Damascus. Paul became an apostle, theologian, pastor, author of many books of the Bible, missionary, church planter and a martyr.

For the Apostle Paul to have accomplished all that he did, he had to put the past behind him and strain to move forward. He pressed on to reach the goal. The application is that we can ask God to help us overcome our past and make us better people in the future. Resolutions to improve ourselves intellectually, physically and spiritually are worthy goals.