The Oasis Counseling Center is located on the campus of Winterberry Christian Academy and the Family Church of Marco Island.  Terry Hoskins is the director of the center and also serves as the guidance counselor for WCA students.  It is a privilege for us to have a Biblical Counseling Center so easily accessible and Mr. Hoskins has had a positive influence on many of our students.  The following article is taken from The Southwest Florida Health and Wellness Magazine.

Successful Goal Setting for 2010

by Terry Hoskins, Director of Oasis Counseling Center  

What are the goals you made for 2010? They say that by the time you read this article many of the goals you determined to stick with have already been broken. Some of the goals you made for the New Year might have been: lose weight, play more and work less, get  finances in order, read the Bible consistently, find a church home, and pray daily. These goals do not sound too difficult, it’s not like we are trying to win a Nobel Peace Prize, or climb Mount Everest, or even train for a marathon, yet most of us will fail on reaching our goals. It is not too late to re-evaluate your goals for this year and plan for how you will achieve them this time around.  

Who is at the center of your life? Is it God or is it something else? You may wonder how you know? What are you committed too? What influences the decisions you make? Because...Every decision we make is an act of worship. We either make decisions to worship God or worship something else! We can begin to see who or what is important to us by the decisions we make. For example, if I told you I played high school basketball, you would assume that I went to practice, worked out, and played games. If I told you I didn’t practice, workout, or even play games, then you would conclude I wasn’t on a team. The truth is our decisions reveal what is at the center of our lives. I had to commit and make a conscious decision to become a basketball player. My daily decisions will effect which goals I meet. If I am committed to God then I will set goals that will honor and glorify Him. God’s Word tells us to, “seek first His (God’s) Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33, NIV) 

Why is it so hard to accomplish our goals? 

1. I can do it myself!

The question we must ask ourselves is, who am I depending on? Do I depend on myself, spouse, brother, sister, best friend, or God? God’s Word says, “In his heart a man plans his course but Lord determines his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9, NIV) God’s Word clearly tells us that we may make plans or goals, but it is God who guides us. We get ourselves in trouble when we try to help God out because we don’t see our goals  coming to fruition fast enough. God’s Word says, “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength.”  (Jeremiah 17:5a, NIV) Reaching my goals do not often occur when I am trying to depend on myself because it further grows my self-promotion instead of God’s glory. God says we are cursed when we depend on ourselves to accomplish our goals. "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.” (Jeremiah 17:7, NIV) God blesses those who trust in Him instead of self.   
 
 2. Habits are part of the human condition

The second reason it is hard to accomplish our goals is because we must learn to change! Change is hard for us because we are creatures of habit. God in His infinite wisdom created us with the ability to learn processes through repetition where we can then form habits. Once we learn new processes and practice them over time, they become second nature for us. Some examples could be; tying your shoes, taking a bath, driving a car, or even learning your position at work. Habits in and of themselves are a good thing because day to day task become second nature. To form a new habit that will bring glory to God is to seek God’s help in the process. It means stopping certain ways of thinking and acting and starting new ones.  

3. Good Intentions do not Necessarily lead to Actions!

God’s Word says, “do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22, NIV) God’s Word tells us that we have to listen and be obedient to God’s truths. The same thing is true with the goals we make. Unless I begin to work on them with real action, nothing will happen! For example, I can decide that I will love my wife more this year, and realize that that it will please God, and it will make our marriage sing, but unless I act on my intentions nothing will happen. The same old habit patterns will continue, until I begin to specifically change the ways I interact with my wife on a daily basis. Good intentions with out action is nothing more than wishful thinking.