I used to teach high school physics.  In particular, the study of motion.  When you are doing calculations about how fast something will go from point A to point B, you have to factor in friction.  It effects everything.  When designers build a car, they have to factor in wind resistance.  The highways we drive on have to create friction for our cars to move forward or we would be slipping around like we are driving on ice.  You know the old law that “what goes up must go down?”  That just means you have to always factor in gravity to your calculations.  Without it, we would just fly out into space.  Friction is everywhere and you just can’t ignore it.

It’s interesting though, how we tend to ignore friction when it comes to the goals we set.  You may have a great goal but if you don’t factor in the obstacles that will cause resistance to that goal then you are setting yourself up to fail.  For example, if you want to save money by eating out less, that’s a great goal, but have you considered the problems that may arise?  Will you pack a lunch?  Do you get up early enough to do that?  If not, how do you need to adjust your schedule to accomodate the change?  And are you willing to do that?  You get the idea, I hope.

So here’s the challenge for your personal growth.  Learn to set goals, but don’t become discouraged when you encounter friction.  Expect to encounter friction and do your best to plan ahead for it.  Ask the Lord to show you the challenging areas in your plan and give you wisdom to know how to deal with them.  If you will take the time to do this, you will be a lot more likely to accomplish the goals you set out for yourself.