Have You Set a Personal Goal?
1 To succeed in accomplishing something, it helps greatly to set a goal for ourselves. A goal is something to strive for, and when achieved, it results in satisfaction, especially when the goal involves our service to God. (Eph. 5:15-17) Many of us have set as a personal goal to temporary pioneer one time each year, to join the ranks of regular pioneers, to become a special pioneer or a member of the Bethel family, to serve where the need is greater, to attend Gilead and thereafter serve as a missionary, etc. Think of the added blessings that those who have realized such goals have experienced in their lives!
2 In the Organization book we do not find a set goal of hours for all publishers, nor set goals for return visits, magazine placements or Bible studies. Why not? Because our individual circumstances, condition of health, abilities, etc., vary greatly. Not all of us are able to do the same amount, and, as we know, the response on the part of the public is not the same in all areas.
3 However, would it not be good for each of us individually to set a goal for our own field ministry, to determine personally how much time we can reasonably spend in field service each month and work out a schedule accordingly? Similarly, we can establish a personal goal for magazine placements, return visits, and even the number of Bible studies we wish to conduct.
4 A publisher recently stated: ‘When the Society had a goal of twelve magazines a month for us as publishers, and I saw near the end of the month I was short on magazine placements, often I would arrange to spend a little more time in magazine service so as to enjoy the satisfaction of placing twelve or more magazines a month.’ He observed that when the goals were discontinued, his field service time dropped and he was not putting forth the same effort to place twelve magazines a month. He decided to set personal field service goals for himself, and as a result he has increased the time he spends in field ministry and again enjoys a greater part in magazine distribution.
5 Goals are wholesome for us as individuals. They provide us opportunity to manifest good desires, according to “the arrangings of the heart” which Jehovah lovingly allows his human creatures to develop according to choice. And when one’s heart ‘thinks out its way,’ setting reasonable goals in God’s service, then “Jehovah himself does the directing of his steps.” (Prov. 16:1, 9) Yes, Jehovah will bless our efforts to meet such goals. Our desire is to please Jehovah by sharing as fully as we can in Kingdom-preaching and the disciple-making work. Goals can aid us to accomplish this. Would it not be good, then, with all of us recognizing the urgency of the times, individually to consider again our circumstances and to work out for ourselves reasonable personal goals for field service?