Forming Common Goals

It is highly important to take time and form common, long term goals in our marriages. Three of the most important are: to develop and maintain a vital connection with God, develop happy homes and parent with agreement.

SUMMARY

Due to lack of time, to sit down and form common goals is not often happening in marriages. If we do not take time to form these goals, than life is going to crowd out the most important things for marriage and family.

We might set temporary goals, such as when to buy our first home or upgrade the car. This is not wrong. However we should look far into the future and consider the most important long term goal – where are we heading spiritually.

One day early in their marriage, Tom and Alane, although genuinely busy in church activities, realized that if they were to hear the words “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”; if they were to see their children in heaven, they had to make some changes, set some goals. That very day they began to make time to look at the goals they had in life. They began to look at these more life changing and long lasting goals that will make a difference to see their children in heaven (the thing that motivated them much to make the necessary changes).

Here are three goals they made:

1. Gaining and maintaining a vital connection to the power of God. “He that has the Son, has life; he that does not have the Son, does not have life.” It does not say “He that knows Scripture”, or “He that goes to church”, or “He that professes”. Tom and Alane wanted them and their children to be in heaven, but as it is with many homes, they did not have time for God because they were too busy, even too busy doing things they called “for God”. They recognized that if they were to have a real connection with God, they needed to take time every morning to have real communion with God. A five minute prayer, for example, is not sufficient to maintain a connection with God.

2. Try to do all possible to make our home a little heaven on earth. The changes we have to make to accomplish this is worth it. The happier our homes, the more desired heaven will be to us and our children and youth, as we realize that it is only going to become better.

3. Parent with agreement – which is needed for a happy home. Tom and Alane were drown together and had improved communication as they consulted God’s word to find principles based on which to parent with agreement.

Here is a personal challenge. Make time, and take the time to form the goals that will change our marriages.

Next time we will look on how to make priorities in order to accomplish these goals.