We all have something. A goal, dream, or “someday” aspiration that we hope to achieve. So, why are so many of us not achieving them? Why do we keep those hopes and dreams locked into a secret compartment somewhere. The term “someday” should be a curse word. It’s almost a crutch we use to kick the can down the road.

For me, writing and publishing a book was that thing. I sat around with that “someday” thought, but kept sitting around. My 30th birthday was a wake-up call for me. I decided at that point that someday had to happen. It was like salt on a wound when 31 rolled around and it still hadn’t happened. I was determined not to let that happen again. Over the next year I made myself write. It was actually pretty frustrating at times, especially when I felt finished but had hours and days of editing. However, when I officially had it published just a couple of weeks before my 32nd birthday, it was and amazing feeling.

Reaching a goal sounds great when you make the goal. Then, the new wears off. Realization that reaching a goals is hard sets in pretty quickly. It’s easy to start with passion and fire, just to lose that passion in a matter of days. It doesn’t matter if you are trying to lose weight or trying to reach a life goal, it is way easier to just dream about it rather than actually doing it.

Easy isn’t always right though.

We all want comfortable, low stress lives, but is that what God has called us to? I don’t recall Jesus ever saying “Sit on your couch, take up your remote, and binge watch Netflix”. No, he said to take up our cross and follow Him (see Matthew 16:24). For Jesus, God’s calling for Him was that literal cross. He had to endure the struggles that came with that cross in order to fulfill His calling. So what is your cross? For me, writing was a part of that but becoming a teacher was something  I also felt a lot of calling in. I resisted for a while, but finally jumped in and did it. It was incredibly hard to do, and continues to be a huge challenge, but worth it. Our callings in life are not going to be easy. As a matter of fact, when we are operating in what God has for us, we will often get a lot of resistance. That doesn’t make it not worth it.

I am preaching to myself today. I have a few more things up my sleeve that I feel God asking me to do, but sitting on that couch with remote in hand binge watching something feels a lot easier. It seems like every time I am determined to do what I feel called to, the distractions are non-stop. Whether it is technology or my toddlers, something is always taking my eyes off the prize. So, I want to challenge all of us:

What’s stopping you?

More importantly, what are you going to do about it?