PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS FROM THE HEARTLAND

August 27, 2023

GOALS

The Wisdom Literature in the Hebrew Bible includes the Book of Proverbs and the Book of Ecclesiastes.  Proverbs is for the beginning of life where the focus is on the long hall ahead.  Ecclesiastes is for the end of life where time is growing short.

Proverbs in its present form might well have served as a manual for young men and women.  It gives advice about family life, interpersonal relations, dealing with those in authority, and other information that will help one be a success.  An overall theme is moderation.  The book encourages remembering the long hall when considering current decisions.  There is an emphasis on long term goals.

Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 gives a graphic description of the perils of old age.  It is to this stage of life the book is addressed.  The author suggests that at the end of life one should take one day at a time.  The only thing that endures are relationships (Ecclesiastes 4:13-16), especially one’s relationship with God. “The end of the matter; all has been said.  Fear God, and keep his commandments; for that is the whole duty of everyone.  For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).”

Short-term and long-term goals are the two focal points of a Golden Ellipse.  Both are important as one makes their journey under the sun.  Long-term goals are especially helpful for the beginning of life (Proverbs) while short-term goals take on added importance at the end of life (Ecclesiastes).  Sometimes circumstances would dictate that one focus primarily on one extreme or the other of the ellipse.  However, most of the time our focus includes both short-term and long-term goals.

For me making lists is an important part of short-term planning.  I have a pad on which I list, as they occur to me, the things I need to get from Walmart, Lowe’s, and yes, Ollie’s.  I have a list of the bills I pay regularly the first half of the month and another for those I pay the second half.  Such lists help to remind me of what I want to buy and the bills I need to pay.  Making lists can also be an integral part of long-term planning.

When I was an active pastor, I worked on the assumption that every year the church would lose 10% of its members and 10% of its income.  These losses could be due to a number of factors, many of which I or the church had no control.  Therefore, just to stay even the church needed to replace these losses.            I also worked on the assumption that things would break or wear out.  Thus, attention needed to be given to the long-term maintenance of the church facility. Setting long-term goals are vital to the success of a healthy church.

Our country is blessed to have an abundance of non-profit organizations.  They have been created to address a diversity of concerns, interests, and needs.  Some have been around for many years.  Others were like a shooting star that shined brightly for a season and then disappeared.  One of the reasons that so many new non-profits do not make it is the lack of long-term planning.  This is especially true in the area of finances and personnel.  There is no plan to replace some of the present income when it expires or the personnel when they are no longer with the organization.

Both short-term and long-term goals are important as we make our journey under the sun.  They both need our attention.