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Q. How can I get past the roadblock of not knowing what I want to do next?

A. Think long. When I was a kid, a bunch of us were always playing football in the street. The play of choice for quarterback-of-the-day was simple. Go long. The rest of his team would sprint with arms flailing and legs pumping, and he'd heave the ball as far as he could. Occasionally ball and receiver were in harmony, and we had street-football bliss.

So go long or, rather, think long. Think of your life when you're really old, say 35. Don't give up your goals and dreams; just stretch out the timeline.

Thinking long-term gives you a better shot at achieving your goals. What qualities do you want to dominate your life when you're 35? What values will transform you? What character traits do you want to define your life? What do you want your legacy to be? Don't be shy—aim high!

What if I'm already past 35?

Then just add 15 or 20 years to your current age.

But mightn't those goals be unrealistically high?

Benjamin Mays, former president of Morehouse College, put it well: "The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn't a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. It is not a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for. Not failure, but low aim is sin."

Think through now what you want to characterize your life.

Paul Tokunaga is InterVarsity's Asian American ministry coordinator.

Adapted from Faith on the Edge (InterVarsity, 1999) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Lord, give me a goal big enough to be worthy of You, and love strong enough to stick with it.

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