Course Correction -- Part 1

I don't make New Year's resolutions, but I do like to look back on the year, and on where I am today and make some corrections to the course I'm following if needed. The world is such that there are always new things that come into your life, exciting things, fun things... exciting fun things at first that gradually lose their luster. Many of these things are distractions. I guess that's the issue. You set an objective and chart your course, more or less. You set out. Then things begin to come in to distract you from your focus.

And it's no accident. I believe there are unseen forces that deliberately bring them in. Things to clutter your mind with false concepts or issues that are irrelevant to your true objective. Things to pull you off, to get you occupied and distracted from the goal that you are supposed to be heading for. Now you are spending all your time and thoughts and energy -- or at least a good measure of it -- on things that really aren't part of your calling.

I received a newsletter the other day that mentioned having a mission statement. Frankly, the phrase sets my teeth on edge, but this time the author's take on it made me sit up and take notice: "A mission statement gives you a reason to say no."

Why, I thought, that's just like knowing what God's calling on your life is. And when you know what it is, you should be focusing on it and saying no to everything else that comes along to take you away from it. Things that are really not part of it, that eat up time and energy and don't contribute to your God-given objective.

To be effective, we must be selective.

Karen