It’s important in life that we have a goal, something we’re headed towards.
Sometimes we come up with a really good idea. We begin to plan, we can envision what it would be like if our goal was reached. And so, we head out with enthusiasm. There are a few setbacks here and there, but we keep on going. But after a while the road gets long, we get tired and we may even in time forget what we were going after. If enough details are thrown at us or we stumble along the way, we get distracted and soon we hit a roadblock that we just cannot move or get around.
Many of us followed the rescue of the Chilean miners. It was a media event that held the attention of almost the whole world. But things didn’t end for these miners once they were rescued. Six miners proposed to their girlfriends. Life goes on. But the story of Edison Pena has been one of the more interesting stories. Many remember him as the miner who kept the spirits up of all the other miners by singing Elvis Presley songs. What most of us didn’t know is that Pena ran up to seven miles a day through the twisted mine shafts during those 69 days under ground. Pena said, “I ran to forget I was trapped. I became two people: the weak person who simply wanted to give up and the person who chose to be strong, to run and survive. Eventually, I chose to live.” Soon after his rescue he ran in the New York Marathon. Few thought he would finish the race, but he did.
You may not be running marathons, but you've got some important goals you are trying to reach. Maybe it’s to start a business or simply to shed a few pounds. Maybe you want to put your past behind you and start your life on a new page. But, like Edison Pena, you’ve hit a roadblock. For him it was being stuck in a mine. For you it could financial problems, a broken relationship or getting through some other setback. One of the things we need to realize is that as we start heading towards our goal, along the way we are going to experience a few bumps in the road. The key is to keep on going by keeping our eye on the goal no matter what comes along.
The apostle Paul had this sort of determination. More than anything else he wanted to be more like Jesus Christ.
He wrote in Philippians 3:13, 14, ”Friends, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Paul was determined that he was not going to let the past or even the things happening around him, keep him from his goal. Each day he got closer, but only as He kept his eyes on the goal and on God Himself. Of course, the best example of keeping eyes on a goal is the example of Jesus Himself.
Hebrews 12:2 says, “For the joy set before Him(Jesus) endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
When the pain of being on the cross got to be too much, Jesus kept His eyes on the prize, you and your need for salvation.
What can keep us going when a goal begins to blur in the distance is to remember that God has a purpose for our life that is always greater than the problems in your life. If you look at roadblocks in your life as things you will never be able to get around, you’re going to find yourself getting discouraged and you will want to give up. But when you remember that God has a purpose for your life, you can look past the obstacles and keep your eyes on your goal, because you know that somehow God is going to help you get there.
The question is, have you ever asked God to show His purpose for your life? One of His purposes for you is to come into a personal relationship with Him. All you have to do is ask Him for it, to forgive you, as well as give you a new start.
If you will do this, no roadblock can keep you from the goal God has set out before you. Keep your eye on your goal, but don’t forget the One who can help you get there no matter how things look. God wants you to see beyond your roadblocks and see that He has something great waiting for you if you will just trust Him.
This column was provided by Tri-Community Baptist Church in Beiseker.
