"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

Before you can properly establish spiritual goals, I think you probably need to define success. A life as a follower of Christ has less to do with rational, logical thought and more with a counter intuitive process. At times, gain means loss and losing means winning. So what seems responsible can be irresponsible and vice versa. There have been many throughout history that have traveled a path that did not seem advisable or even responsible. Jim Elliot, for example, was a man who felt compelled to translate the Gospel to reach an indigenous tribe in Ecuador. Leaving behind a very normal life where he studied architecture and acting, Elliot took what seemed an irresponsible path for what he identified to be a greater good.

Read more about Jim Elliot here.

You may never travel to distant shores to reach indigenous tribes.
You may never be written about because of notable accomplishments.
You may never achieve any sort of public, noticeable status.

I may be going out on a limb here, but I'd be willing to bet that you feel as though you don't do enough and a bit insignificant. The goal of setting goals is not creating a list of goals. It's about achievement. And in order to achieve something truly worth living for, you must value something worth dying for.

I have many things that I want to do before it's all said and done. Some of those goals are so far out of reach right now that it hurts my head just to think about it too long. To make my goals seem more attainable, I have created 3 macro categories:

spiritual, family, personal

Creating spiritual goals is at the top of the list. And it may seem a bit small to you, but my number one spiritual goal for 2010 is to read through the Bible completely this year. Another spiritual goal is to begin to develop a discipling relationship with our oldest daughter, Elizabeth. I'm a firm believer that my kids are an inheritance and that it is my responsibility to develop them.

These are my top two spiritual goals. What about you?

What are your spiritual goals for 2010?