Hebrews 11:8 NLT

'It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.'

It is often said that a journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. Probably a Taoist saying from the sixth century BC, the message is clear. We may have an objective in view but we cannot realise that objective without setting out towards it.

When I decided to research how food impacted Jayne’s health condition, I realised that we must move beyond understanding to action. The consequences was a serious loss of weight as diet improved. We also grew to understand how diet impacts our bodies. The goal was for Jayne to experience less pain. The first step was to take action of understanding how food, dairy, oxalates, carbohydrates, all influenced her pain. As companions, we needed to walk this road together, just as Abraham’s household followed him on the strength of his own commitment to walk into the unknown, confident that this was the route to God’s promise.

In health, participation and security, the ingredients for successful ageing, it is essential that we set ourselves goals. In seeking a new church when we moved home, we both knew that we were looking for community, one that offered mutual support and encouragement. We knew why we chose our church community and why we joined certain groups. We also identified what our contributory gifts were in mission and trained to ensure we were available to offer practical support to struggling families beyond the borders of church.

Understanding the realities of moving into the third age, or passing through any of life’s transitions, requires that you take stock of your current position and determine where it is you are headed. You must determine your priorities and decide how to start to implement them in your daily schedule. To know the truth and not to do it is to disobey God.

QUESTION: Would a journal or some other tool help you record your life goals?

PRAYER: Help me make intentional plans in my life that are guided by your Holy Spirit, so that my life has direction, goals and a godly purpose.