College is an exciting time of life because young adults have their entire lives in front of them. They get to decide who they will marry, where they will live, what they will do and what they will believe. So, they have some very big and important decisions to make.
I will be talking with them about setting life goals. And I have divided them into four categories: Be, Do, Have, and Help. Who do you want to be? What do you want to do? What do you want to have? And who so you want to help? These are great questions for college students to help them think about the path they want to take in life. I also believe these are great questions for all of us, no matter how young or old we are.
So, let me ask you, “What your life goals? Who do you want to be? What do you want to do? What do you want to have? Who do you want to help?” I believe the last question is of utmost importance because life is not all about you. God wants to use you to help others. For some of you, it may be as simple as helping your kids and grandkids. For others, you may want to help a certain group of people, a church, a school, a community or a charity. For me, the greatest joy in life comes from impacting others and living for something that is much bigger than myself.
If you want to understand your life and why you are on this planet, you have to start with God. God designed you. You were not an accident. You may have been a surprise to your parents, but you were not an accident. My wife and I had a beautiful little surprise in our lives, a third child, Jesslyn Kay Howes. We did not think we were able to have any more kids, but we were wrong. We now have two kids in college and one in elementary school. Jessie was a big surprise to our family, but she was not an accident.
No child is an accident. Every child is a miracle. Every child is a gift from Heaven.
God is the creator of every one of us. Psalm 139:13-14 says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” God designed you. He created you. He made you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Everything about you, God designed. Your height, your body type, your hair color, your eyes, your ears, your nose, your athletic ability, your artistic ability, your relational and social skills, your personality, your brains, and your emotions were uniquely designed by God.
God created you for a reason and a purpose. God placed you on this planet for a specific reason. In fact, God created you to do something that only you can do. God created you to do something that nobody else on this earth can do. Wow! Isn’t that amazing to think about?
I want you to think about how God has uniquely designed you. What gifts and abilities has He given you? What desires and passions has He given you? What sovereign foundations and life experiences have you gone through that have shaped who you are? I believe that all things happen for a reason and a purpose. God allows things to happen in lives, good and bad, so He can use them to fulfill His purpose and plans. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
So, what has God called you to? What is His purpose and plan for your life? What are your life goals? Who do you want to BE? What do you want to DO? What do you want to HAVE? Who do you want to HELP? Let me encourage you to write down your life goals. Pray about them. Order your life around them.
Jonathan Howes has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from Jacksonville State University and a Master in Divinity Degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the lead pastor for Graystone Church. Locations include the Ozora Campus: 1551 Ozora Road Loganville, GA 30052, the Walton Campus: 723 N Broad St Monroe, GA 30655 and the Oconee Campus: 1275 Lenru Road Bogart, GA 30622.
Phone: (770) 466-3159
Email: info@graystonechurch.com
Website: GraystoneChurch.com
Blog: http://toliveischrist.cc
Twitter: @JohnnyHowes
