Several years ago in Peachtree City, Georgia, a community known for its extensive multi-use path system, a golf cart crashed into a car.  Interestingly, the cart was steered by a blind man who drove two miles before wrecking into a parked automobile in a restaurant parking lot.  

The passenger in the golf cart had sight, but he was too drunk to drive.  So, he gave directions to the blind driver. The other passenger in the golf cart was neither drunk nor blind but couldn’t drive. He was the seeing-eye dog. They were on the move but were unclear about their destination.

As baseball legend Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might wind up someplace else.”

It’s important to live with a sense of direction. In my first job after graduating college, my boss asked me at some point, “Where do you see yourself in five years?”

I’d never thought about it. I was struggling with a call to ministry and was seeking God’s direction, but all I knew was I wanted to serve Him. I had no idea at that point what my call to ministry would look like.

Many people live with no direction, like they are on a cruise to nowhere. Some cruise lines used to sell cruises with no destination. People got on a ship and when they left port, they’d go out to sea and simply circle. Passengers enjoyed the amenities, entertainment, and food, but never reached an exotic destination. 

Pulitzer Prize winning author Katherine Ann Porter said, “I’m appalled at the aimlessness of most people’s lives. Fifty percent don’t spend any attention to where they are going; forty percent are undecided and will go in any direction. Only ten percent know what they want, and even all of them don’t go toward it.”

Do you have a dream? A sense of direction? Do you set goals? John Maxwell in The Success Journey wrote that direction starts with a dream. We dream of where and what we want to be. A dream contributes to a sense of purpose that shapes direction. To have direction, we set goals that provide motivation and give a road map to follow. 

Maxwell advised, “Your dream determines your goals; Your goals map out your actions; your actions create results; and the results bring you success.”

Former Georgia Bulldog Dan Jackson had a dream. After completing a strong high school football career, he had only two scholarship offers, the Air Force Academy and Shorter University. 

Yet, his dream was to play football for the University of Georgia. So, he walked on, hoping to at least make the practice squad. 

Jackson’s high school coach, David Bishop, told him, “You got to set some goals. You’ve made a commitment for a year, one year. Stick it out, work your way up, and then look at year two.” 

Jackson worked hard and inched his way up the depth chart, one year at a time. Then, in 2021, in the Georgia-Arkansas game, Jackson flew through the Arkansas line and blocked a punt, resulting in a Georgia touchdown. He got more playing time and eventually made the starting lineup, playing safety on defense. 

In the recent 2025 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions selected Jackson as the 230^th overall pick in the seventh round. From walk-on with only two college scholarship offers to NFL draft pick, Jackson showed he knows how to pursue his dream. Now he has to work his way into playing time with the Lions, but that just gives him a reason to set new goals.   

J. C. Penney stated, “Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I will give you a man who will make history. Give me a man without a goal and I will give you a stock clerk.”

Thankfully, for the believer, the Lord directs our paths. Our responsibility is trust in Him, rely on Him, and submit to Him (Proverbs 3:5, 6). Setting goals is a good practice if our goals are pleasing to God. 

Where will you be in your Christian journey in five years? What is your dream for serving the Lord? What goals will you set that will determine the direction of your life? 

(David L. Chancey serves as transitional pastor of Eagles Landing at Griffin, Griffin, Georgia. He is the author of three books. See more of his writings at www.davidchancey.com).