Begin with the end in mind!

Pretty much everyone on the planet has a calendar. Why is that? Because we live our daily lives in anticipation of “what’s next.” Those of us who set goals do so because it’s easier to reach a destination when you know where you are going. I recently attended a youth conference where the speaker was very simple, yet profound. She made a statement along the lines of, “begin with the end in mind.” She went on to describe how we do this from day to day and most times without even thinking twice. For example, if as a student, you set the goal of graduating…that’s the end. Then you must begin with preparation and study in the beginning, in order to see that end goal come to past. This of course made me think deeper about our spiritual lives. Do we begin each day with our eternal end in mind? Many of us proclaim that we are “children of God,” and with God being our father our goal should be to live with Him in heaven eternally upon our earthly demise…that is the end. Just like with any “end goal,” in order to see it happen we must begin with preparation. With that being said what are we doing daily to prepare for our eternal end? We don’t have a problem preparing for tests in order to get a passing grade; preparing for a wedding in order to have a marriage or even putting together cribs and buying clothes in preparation for a new babies arrival. Then we should not have a problem living a “Christ-like” life in preparation for our eternal end. Everyone’s life is coming to an end and no one knows exactly when that will occur for them. Therefore it behooves us to live every single day like it is our last. We should start our day out acknowledging God and keeping Him first throughout that day. On a daily basis do you live it in the realization that it could be your very last opportunity to show someone love who really needs it, or apologize to someone you have wronged? Do you carry yourself in a manner that proves you know any given moment could be your last chance to lead someone to Christ? So the next time you are setting goals for your life, don’t forget, set your eternal “end goal” and begin each and every day with the end in mind! Think about it!