Do You Set Goals for Yourself?

This summer I set two. A physical challenge and a spiritual challenge.

Both required discipline.

I decided to challenge myself to read the New Testament in 90 days. I had heard of a program called "B90X". Extreme Bible reading. There are some who have taken that challenge and actually read the entire Bible in 90 days. I decided to start with the New Testament. Hal and I have read the entire Bible each year for several years now. But this would be a new challenge. I printed my plan to keep in my Bible and began August 1st.

The second challenge for me was a physical challenge. For some crazy reason, I decided to train to run with the goal being a 5k run in our city on Oct 30. I used the "Couch-to-5K" program. This too began on August 1st.

Since I have read my Bible consistently for years, the challenge was just to read MORE each day. And to be consistent.

But the running was a different story. This was new. I mean VERY new. As in, I have NEVER run. I had thought about it some. And this past year, when some friends at church began running, I thought about it some more. But I had been able to talk myself out of the idea. I had convinced myself that since I was 52 years old, that I did not even need to start. But while reading a blog one day, the writer was talking about the benefits of running- and that he had started running at the age of 52. hummmmm.

Maybe I could.

I heard a speaker recently call that a God parade. When He starts moving in our lives - and we have that parade of things that lead us in the direction that He wants us to go. My last excuse was my age... until I read the blog of someone who began running at my age.

The first week was "do-able". The second week was ok - but the first time that I had to run 3 minutes, I thought I would die. But I kept training. At least 3 times a week, I ran. Doing exactly what the program told me to do.

I iced my 52 year old knees when I would get home. I bought some better shoes. I did exercises to strengthen the knees and to stretch the legs. I read articles about how to run.

And on October 30th, I ran the 5k. I am slow, but my goal was to run the entire race. And I did.
And the crazy thing is, I even won in my age division.

Sometimes it pays to be old.

It always pays to train for the race set before us.

This week, I had someone ask me which goal was harder. I had to think. The run was a real challenge. But the warfare that happens to keep us out of the Word was extreme. Regardless, I finished BOTH.

Today, I am thinking about what new goals I need/want to set. For I know this... if I had not set the goals, I would not have accomplished either.

Do you set goals for your life?
Would you share?