(Transcribed by TurboScribe. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)
(0:00 - 1:08)
Have you ever looked around at your life and quietly wondered, how did I get here? Because somewhere along the way, life got full and you became the dependable one. The person everyone calls. The one who remembers birthdays, keeps the family calendar, solves problems at work, volunteers at church, checks on aging parents, and somehow still feels guilty for not doing enough.
Can I confess something? I've had seasons where I was so busy being everything to everyone else that I forgot to ask one really important question. Who is God inviting me to become in this season? Friend, I wonder if you've ever felt that way too. Welcome to Goals in Grace.
I'm Rev. Dr. Juliet Spencer, Certified High Performance Coach, and I am so glad you're here. Today begins something a little different. For the next five weeks, we're taking what I'm calling a late summer reset.
(1:09 - 2:06)
Why late summer? Because, I don't know about you, but August has always felt like a turning point to me. Students head back to school, churches launch fall ministries, businesses prepare for the last quarter of the year, families settle back into routines. There's just something about this season that whispers, Yay! You get another chance! So, whether you've had an incredible summer, or you're wondering where June and July disappeared, this series is for you.
My prayer is that you won't simply arrive in September. You'll arrive with clarity. When was the last time you asked God, not what should I do, but who am I now? There's a difference, and I think we skip that question far too often.
(2:07 - 2:36)
We spend so much time asking, What decision should I make? What opportunity should I pursue? What goal should I set? And these are great questions, don't get me wrong, but I think there's a better one. Who is God forming me to become? Because the quality of your decisions will never consistently rise above the clarity of your identity. I want you to sit with that for just a moment.
(2:37 - 2:59)
The quality of your decisions will never consistently rise above the clarity of your identity. If I believe I'm an imposter, I'll make imposter decisions. If I believe I'm responsible for everyone else's happiness, I'll become a chronic people pleaser.
(2:59 - 3:24)
If I believe my value depends on my performance, I'll never truly rest. Our decisions almost always reveal what we believe about ourselves. Have you ever cleaned out a closet and found a jacket you haven't worn in 10 years? You put it on just for fun and suddenly realize, This looked a whole lot better in 2015.
(3:25 - 4:45)
Well, some of us are still trying to squeeze into identities that don't fit anymore. They're not necessarily bad identities, but we've grown, and yet we keep making decisions as though we're living in a previous season. My friend, God doesn't ask us to live in yesterday's identity.
God meets us in today's calling. One of my favorite examples is from Gideon. If you know the story from Judges chapter 6, Gideon isn't exactly having a great day.
The Midianites have been terrorizing Israel and people are afraid. Food is scarce and hope is running low. So where do we find Gideon? Hiding.
He's threshing wheat inside a wine press so no one will see him. That's not where you normally thresh wheat. He's trying not to lose what little he has.
He's just trying to survive. And then the angel of the Lord appears. Now, if you or I were writing this story, we might have said, greetings, scared to death farmer, or hello, overwhelmed guy who's doing the best he can.
(4:46 - 5:12)
But that's not what happens. The angel says, the Lord is with you, mighty warrior. Mighty warrior? He's hiding.
He's afraid. He's questioning everything, which tells us something profound. God introduced Gideon to the person God was forming long before Gideon could even see it in himself.
(5:12 - 5:32)
And maybe God is doing that with you. Can I ask you something else? Not as your coach, not even as your pastor, but as your friend. Have you been making decisions based on who you used to be? Maybe you're still carrying labels someone else gave you.
(5:33 - 6:12)
You're too quiet. You're too old or too young. You're not experienced enough.
Oh, you're not spiritual enough. You're not confident enough. Maybe you've been introducing yourself with a story God finished writing years ago.
What if your biggest obstacle isn't lack of discipline? What if it's loyalty to an outdated identity? James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, writes that every action you take is a vote for the kind of person you want to become. I love that. I think it's insightful.
(6:13 - 7:11)
But scripture goes even deeper. Scripture reminds us that before we ever cast a vote for the person we hope to become, God has already begun forming us into the person we were created to be. Coaching often asks, who do you want to become? Faith asks, who is God already shaping you to become? And that's a really different question.
One begins with ambition. The other begins with calling. I've learned something from more than 30 years in pastoral ministry.
People don't actually need more information. They need permission. Permission to stop proving.
Permission to stop comparing. Permission to stop living according to expectations that God never placed on their shoulders. And maybe that's you today.
(7:11 - 7:51)
Maybe you've spent so much energy trying to be who everyone else needs you to be that you've forgotten to ask who God needs you to be. But before we go any further, I want you to hear this. If you're listening while driving to work or folding laundry or walking through your neighborhood and there's a quiet voice inside saying, uh-oh, I've missed my chance, then I hope you'll hear me.
You haven't surprised God. You haven't aged out of your purpose. You have not become too late for grace.
(7:52 - 8:10)
If God could call Gideon a mighty warrior while he was still hiding, then perhaps God still sees something in you that you've forgotten to see in yourself. And perhaps that's why you're listening today. So here's your invitation this week.
(8:11 - 8:23)
I don't want you to start with goals. I want you to start with identity. Take out a journal or a sticky note or the note apps on your phone and complete these three sentences.
(8:25 - 9:07)
In this season, I am dot dot dot. Maybe it's leader, builder or servant, encourager, learner, healer, mentor, bold, worthy. And now finish this one.
In this season, I choose to show up dot dot dot. It might be present or joyful, courageous, patient, disciplined, curious, loving. And finally, I want to be known for dot dot dot.
(9:08 - 9:25)
Integrity, compassion, excellence, follow-through, generosity, faithfulness. Don't overthink it, but you might want to pray over it. And then ask yourself one final question.
(9:26 - 9:59)
If these statements are true, what decision would I make differently this week? If these statements are true, then what decision would I make differently this week? Instead of chasing another goal, clarify your identity. Write those three statements somewhere you'll see them every morning, every single morning before you open email, before you check social media or even look at your calendar. And let them become a reminder that your schedule doesn't define you.
(9:59 - 10:49)
Your calling does. My friend, the important decision you'll make this fall isn't what you'll do. It's who you'll become while you're doing it.
Because God never asked you to become somebody else. God simply refuses to leave you where you are. Next week, we're going to take this identity and turn it into one bold aligned goal that deserves your best yes.
Until then, remember this. The quality of your decisions will never consistently rise above the clarity of your identity. So before you ask what should I do, pause long enough to ask, who is God inviting me to become? And thanks for spending these moments with me today.
(10:49 - 11:09)
Until next time, keep pursuing what matters most. Extending grace to yourself and others and trusting that God who called you is still faithfully leading you. One decision, one step, one relationship, one day at a time.
May God bless you with goals and grace.
(Transcribed by TurboScribe. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)
