“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” I Corinthians 15:58 NKJV

Life takes a lot of our brain space. There are so many decisions to make every day. From what color socks to wear to how to pay your bills to how to wrangle that wayward child our brains are constantly occupied. That’s why planning to remind yourself of what you want to accomplish is so important.

If you don’t plan to remind yourself of the goals you have set, you will forget. It is human nature. Regularly scheduling a goal review helps you stay on track with what you believe God has called you to accomplish.

I’ve often found myself saying that I make a plan so that I don’t have to think about it. That isn’t accurate. When I make a plan, I have already thought about it. Since I have already made a decision, my brain is free to focus on other things. That is the value of a planned review. You have already thought about how to keep your goals in front of you. That frees your brain to be creative and develop plans for following through on those goals as you live your busy life.

Remember, it’s about the growth, not the goals. Regularly remembering your goals keeps you growing.

Why do you need to schedule regular goal reviews?

Life happens. We say it often, don’t we? Life happens. Life constantly reminds us of how little control we actually posses. So much is out of our control. Every week, every day, every moment things happen that we didn’t anticipate and need to adjust to.

Planned goal reviews are a recognition of that. Life happens and draws us away from our goals. Regularly reviewing your goals is a plan to stay on track.

We forget what God said. If you don’t believe you’ll forget what God said, spend some time in the Old Testament. When the serpent asked Eve, Did God really say…? Her answer indicated she didn’t remember the details. She added to what God said. (Genesis 3:3)

God gave the commandments and the festivals such as Passover to remind His people what He had done. When they didn’t celebrate His commanded festivals, they drifted. They drifted because they forgot what He had done. They forgot how good He had been to them.

As much as we like to believe we are different, we are not. You and I are just as prone to forget. God gave His people structures to help them remember and stay on track. When they lost the structure, they forgot. Structure is your friend. Like a trellis helps roses grow, your structure will become a thing of beauty, helping you grow and accomplish what God has put in your heart.

We get weary. Don’t be weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9 NIV). At the proper time. Often, our goals take longer and require more effort to achieve than we expect.

Editing my book takes a different type of concentration and energy than writing. As I have never edited a book before, I didn’t plan for that. Reviewing my goals reminds me to keep going and get the job done even though I get weary of the effort and the work. Reviewing reminds me that it’s going to be worth it.

Dear friend, God has spoken to you. You have set some goals with Him that stretch you and challenge you to grow. Plan times to regularly review those goals. Your life is busy and brings multiple opportunities to get sidetracked. A regular goal review will remind you of the goals you and God have set together, fueling you to keep going when you feel weary. It’s going to be worth it!

Key Question: Why do you need to schedule regular goal reviews?

A Scripture to Consider: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” I Corinthians 15:58 NKJV

A YES Challenge: Decide how often you need to review your goals. Schedule your planned review in your calendar. Keep that appointment!

Prayer: Father, You know how busy my life is. You know all the little and big decisions I face every day. I don’t want to drift from accomplishing the goals I have set with You. Help me to regularly review those goals so that I can keep growing. I want to accomplish those goals for Your glory Amen.

September 12, 2026

This is Not Forever

“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NLT

As I tearfully opened the sodden boxes of our stored belongings, wondering what was ruined, a verse came to mind,

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:19-21 NLT

We were temporarily living with my parents, and our stuff was stored in Tom’s parents' garage. They had a plumbing issue in their bathroom above the garage, causing a leak that soaked several of our boxes and other items, including our mattress. We weren’t sure what was salvageable.

That period of time was already difficult. We were waiting for a job to open up and unsure how long that would take, how long we would be living with my parents, how long our stuff would be stored. Both sets of parents had been patient, loving, and gracious. There was no one to blame for the water damage. Sometimes things just happen.

But when that verse popped into my brain, it completely changed my perspective on going through the damage. The tears didn’t stop. There was some mourning and disappointment. But at the same time, there was hope. This was temporary. These things were just things. What really mattered was how I responded. I could choose an eternal perspective. I could choose to treasure Christ more than an earthly possession.

As it turned out, very few of our things were unsalvageable, and insurance more than covered anything that was lost. But the eternal perspective I gained is a treasure that I still carry. That simple shift helped me through the three and a half years of living in the in-between.