Thankful Thursdays

For “Life goals!” It’s so easy to get discouraged nowadays given the state of our world. We fear for our children’s future most of all. Does it feel kind of hopeless at times? Maybe. But that’s why I think it’s so important to encourage our children, and ourselves, to have goals. Instead of resting on our laurels waiting for things to happen, we should be looking ahead, planning, and setting goals. This focuses our vision on working hard, and nothing gets results quite like hard work. Of course, not everything we plan for or every goal we set is destined to come to fruition. Sometimes it’s the journey itself (and its lessons) that is the reward. My faith leads me to believe that. And the surge forward sure does set hope in motion. I know that for a fact. Sure, God may laugh at our planning, but He must surely give us credit for our hopefulness.

Still, I used to get somewhat concerned whenever my daughter would say, “Life goals!” after every mention of a bucket list item. I’d be like, “Oh brother, she keeps piling them in.” But the more I heard Lauren throw stuff in her bucket and claim “Life goals!,” the more I saw her work hard toward those things, and accomplish quite a few. Along the way, she and Danny have experienced disappointment, but we’ve taught our kids that worse than disappointment, is to give ourselves nothing to look forward to. Which explains why they are so gung-ho about their endeavors.

Now, before we go tossing more stuff in them, let’s make sure our buckets are lined with integrity and values. That they contain not just fun-filled plans geared at short-term satisfaction, but that we’re also adding plans that will improve our lives and the lives of others for years to come.

Let’s be thankful for what we already have, and let’s keep our eyes peeled on those “life goals!”… they keep hope alive.

What are you thankful for today?

“Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.”
-L.M. Alcott

“Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal.”
-E.J. Cossman

“If you don’t know where you are going,
you’ll end up someplace else.”
-Yogi Berra