Into Tomorrow Territory

“There are far, far better things ahead than we leave behind.” ~ C.S. Lewis

Tomorrow Territory?

It’s been said that C.S. not only believed but held fast to his faith and the resonating truth of his famous quote way after Narnia and all the way into fulfillment. Mr. Lewis’s faith was famously documented throughout the decades after his death, in addition to how he never looked back or let his past beliefs or actions hold him captive. He changed course and ran with endurance until his final breath, into tomorrow territory.

Today, as I write, I’m reminded to hold on to the belief I have in God the Father and in his son, Jesus. His is a story not only written in love—it is never-ending and inspires me to go full throttle into tomorrow territory too.

I’m fixing my eyes on You, Lord. I will not forget Your word.  ~ Psalm 119:15-16

New goals = New life?

While there is much-published evidence of C.S. Lewis’s faith, there is also documented evidence he rejected his childhood faith in his teens and early twenties only to rediscover Christianity later, while influenced by his friend, J.R.R. Tolkien, after they met in Oxford. These two genera (or geniuses) may have been friends, but in some instances, they were rivals too. Their writing styles may appear similar, but they had different views and opinions.

I love how God uses friends, colleagues, or even rivals to inspire change, courage, or sometimes greatness.

Why go full throttle?

All this author research makes me think of how we too might see our desires, wishes, dreams, and goals become reality someday. What if we decide to go full throttle into tomorrow territory? Knowing our life journey is more like a marathon than a sprint, will we learn to pace ourselves? Moreover, might we gain new strength as we overcome obstacles along the way?

Believe it and see it . . .

A faith goal . . .

Our pastor spoke about setting a faith goal during last week’s sermon. This stood out to me more than I expected. It’s not like this was something I haven’t studied or written about. But wow. It was as if his words struck more than one rusty chord with me.

He had said, “It’s a statement of faith with a date attached.”

Okay. This is good. Again, it’s nothing I haven’t heard before, but I like his spin on the subject, his vulnerability, and his sincerity.

Later that evening, I contemplated what this meant in relation to my life. Again, my first impression was, Wow . . . But then, an immediate “Ugh” oozed out between my lips.

I don’t like to attach dates. Dates mean deadlines. Deadlines mean mental stress.

I had to reflect some more about all he’d said:

Desires + Wishes + Dreams + Our Callings +Goals =?

If I were texting this, I’d usually insert a bulgy-eyed face emoji here.

After much introspection, my thoughts settled on his descent acronym (I love them) for Faith Goal:

Focused

Attainable

Individual

Trackable

Heartfelt

Five awesome words when we’re thinking about going all in, huh?

He further emphasized how staying focused on our progress might give us power over perfection.

BOOM!

Isn’t THAT what we all need these days?

Power over perfection?

My ponderings immediately shifted. Now, sifting through a messy pile of goals and callings I’ve left unfinished—In addition to dreams I’ve put on hold or reasoned away due to my frozen (but not crushed) ego or the baby steps of progress I’ve made not equaling much on the world’s success meter these last few years.

Again, my mind wandered to many of my favorite author’s accomplishments and then settled on C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

Moments later, a gentle voice joined my already crowded head space. Why do you put them on pedestals? They and many others you admire were (or are) more like you than you care to know. Don’t give up. I see ALL you have done and will do.

Don’t give up.

What happens to our goals if we stop believing in our power to make them reality?

Like C.S. or (insert any name) ——– ——–, I too lost focus. We all do. My progress may have slowed, but I was still breathing and moving forward. Some seasons in life are like that. There will be days, months, or years when we may have to drag ourselves through the muck or even the once wonderful everyday la, la, la.

That means we keep moving even when we don’t know how to get back on track. Remember to listen to the one voice that matters. The One who made us unique and called us into the race. Engage those traits that may potentially propel us to the waiting prize.

The prize . . .

Spiritual Growth is the evidence of new life.

If we start running a race but lose ground, we can refocus on the prize, get back up, and finish strong. Stay in the race.  

You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? Galatians 5:7

Things we can do to keep moving toward our goal:

1. Quiet time (fix my mind on the goal).
2. Pray and memorize scriptures and inspirational quotes.
3. Focus

Focus on things we can do to get there, not our setbacks. This takes hard work and dedication. I want to be mindful of the things consuming my attention. After all, whatever we focus on pulls us its way.

Let’s remember to start a forward-looking plan to keep moving toward our goals—even if that means taking baby steps. I’ve decided to acknowledge all those little things I’ve achieved in a folder I almost labeled ‘Lost Time.’

The surprise: I never realized how much I had accomplished. The world’s success meter may not have registered any of it, but God did.

New life redefined.

Your, Mr. Lewis’s, or my yesterday is our past. We are not governed or defined by it unless we give it such power and let the sight of tomorrow’s prize go. For me, that meant making God my future. With Him, I found new life many years ago and, recently, new joy in a few redefined goals. In Him, I know I can run this race—You can too. God’s strength is perfect when our strength is gone. It gives new life.

I’ve come to see this year’s upcoming spring season as more than the awakening of my garden. I’ve awoken from my dreams and am heading into tomorrow territory—Where my goals are reality. Only then will I know I’ve run the race to the best of my ability, and I can genuinely say no matter the obstacle, I went all in.

We can still win the prize he has prepared for us. Forget what lies behind. Strain forward. Press on toward the goal… Philippians 3:12-14 ESV

Dear friends,

My prayer for you is the same I pray for me. What if we focus on doing our best today and then go full throttle into tomorrow territory?

Can you see a brighter future with God as your coach and friend? I pray that you, too, may find new reasons to live life deliberately. Abundantly. In Him, I know we can run with endurance.

Can you relate? Please join this conversation. I’d love to hear your thoughts here in the Inspire a Fire comments section below. Read my IAF stories or click highlighted text links throughout this post. See you on Insta, FB, Pinterest, or check out my Dreamdove’s Flights of Fancy blog.

Wishing you new inspiration on your journey,

~ JC 

Special thanks:

. . . Thanks for the inspiring word regarding faith goals, Pastor Andrew Brown. :)))

And, Pixabay for use of all royalty-free images: Feature Image by Ales Krivec from Pixabay, #1 Image by Albrecht Fietz from Pixabay, #2 Image by Michael Pointner from Pixabay #3 ) Image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay