You Mean We Should Set Goals?

In a previous blog I wrote about how life is moving forward constantly, and that if we stop and dwell on the past too long we will be left behind, and ultimately see life and opportunities pass us by.

It is easy to let what has happened in our past define who we are. Many of us have had negative or quite traumatic experience in life that can define our very existence. This happens with individuals, countries, ethnic, religious, and other groups of people quite frequently.

Sharing blini (crepes) together for a meal

In most cases people define themselves this way because they are victims of some kind of injustice. Child abuse or neglect, infidelity, religious or political strife, war, starvation, and sickness are just a few of the thousands of situations that could be listed. These are terrible and unspeakable things that often place people at a disadvantage financially, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

While many people are in near impossible situations to break out of, those who should be counted in this number are a small minority. And the reason I say that is because the majority of people who believe they are in an impossible situation, is because they are still mourning the negative experiences of their lives, instead of setting goals and planning for the future.

"The boundaries that you establish for yourself create the limitations of your existence." - Erwin McManus, Pastor, Mosaic Church, Los Angeles

John speaking to the group through an interpreter.

Who you think you are is what you will be, and who you will be is dependent upon the goals you set for yourself.

Recently John Wiens, the director/founder of New Hope Center, was speaking to the group of graduated orphans who we spend time with regularly, and he challenged them with that message. "Who will you become? Will you believe that you have value, and that you can lead a successful life, or will you always believe that you are just an orphan kid that will end up in jail someday?"

This blog entry is named after one of the responses that one of the boys had. "You mean we should set goals?"

While he may have been slightly sarcastic when saying this, his response is very telling about how the orientation of our minds makes a huge difference in where we are headed. Sometimes we need someone or something that allows for us to think in a different way, but ultimately we need to do this for ourselves.

Our past is ours to deal with. It should not be forgotten, but it can not and should not live with us today if we are to live a life of freedom. This is often the case for young men like this, who have lived as orphans, with little or no help to succeed. But this is a lesson that has immeasurable power to change one's life. And it is the preaching of this message to orphans and those who are in bondage to their past that can change their world and ours.