Taking some personal inventory...

Over a cup of coffee last week, a good friend shared with me the most important goals in his life: to grow old with his wife; to be a good man; to be a good husband; to be a good father; to be a good neighbor; to be a good worker... He was clear and spoke about the importance of the order of his goals. My friend is a man of deep faith and although there's no specifically religious vocabulary in his list, I know, without a doubt, that his list of goals is wrapped in and shot through with his faith in God and in Jesus who reveals him.

What struck me most were the first and last of his goals: the first because I believe it shows how seriously he understands and lives his marriage vows as the framework of his life as a Christian; and the last because so many other things come before his livelihood, regardless of how critical one's livelihood is to one's goals.

Especially in these times of crisis in the economy when jobs and bank accounts and mortgages and portfolios loom so large in our collective and individual imaginations, my friend's goals reveal a man whose priorities are deeply rooted in his understanding of himself before God.

Even more telling: my friend has been unemployed for several years. He and his wife depend on her income to support themselves and their children - and she is not the CEO of any corporation...

Especially as Christmas draws near -and it does- I want to ask myself the question my friend has answered for himself: what are my goals in life?

Perhaps you might want to do the same...

-ConcordPastor