Why Faith Goals?
Feb 11, 2026Summary
In this episode of the Arise, Women of God podcast, we tackle the high-stakes question: Why set faith goals when life is already a whirlwind of chaos? Host Tamara K. Anderson and advisory board member Amy Johnson explore how a single spiritual anchor can shift your entire world from merely "good" to truly "great."
If you feel constantly bombarded by the noise of the world—like you are driving down a freeway of endless distractions—this episode is for you. Amy shares the powerful "Fence Post Analogy," explaining how keeping your eye on one fixed point (Jesus) allows you to plow a straight line in every other area of your life, including your business and family. We also revisit the story of Mary and Martha, uncovering a surprising insight: the true indicator of whether you have chosen the "better part" isn't just about what you are doing, but whether you are at peace while doing it. Whether you are a "scriptorian" like Amy's mom or a "doer" like her dad, this episode reveals how faith goals act as the ultimate filter to help you discern the vital few from the trivial many. Tune in to move from frantic to focused!
Episode Takeaways
- The Whirlwind of Distraction: We live in a world of "dizzying distractions." Faith goals act as a spiritual filter, helping us cut through the misinformation and noise to focus on what matters most.
- The Mary & Martha Filter: The difference between Mary (sitting) and Martha (serving) wasn't just their actions; it was their internal state. Martha was anxious; Mary was at peace. If your goals don't bring you peace, it’s time to re-center.
- The Fence Post Analogy: To plow a straight row, a farmer must keep his eye on a fixed fence post at the end of the field. If you keep your eye on Jesus (your fence post), every other "row" in your life (health, finances, family) will naturally straighten out.
- Good is the Enemy of Great: Drawing from the book Good to Great, we learn that settling for a "good" life often keeps us from the "great" life God has for us. Faith goals help us choose the great part.
FREE Resource
Ready to find your "Fence Post" and stop the spiritual dizziness? Download our FREE Guide to Goal Setting. It includes the "Sacred Brainstorm" worksheet to help you filter out the noise and hear God's voice. 👉 Download the Guide Here: https://www.womenwarriorsoflight.com/offers/WyaLn2gS/checkout
Reflection Questions
- Do you feel more like Mary (at peace) or Martha (distracted) in your daily life right now? What does that tell you about your current goals?
- What is the “Whirlwind” in your life (social media, news, busyness) that makes you feel most dizzy? How can a faith goal act as a filter for that specific distraction?
- Visualize your life as a field. If Jesus is the “Fence Post” at the end, are your current rows (habits/choices) lining up with Him, or are they crooked?
- Amy’s parents connected to God differently (study vs. doing). How do you best draw near to God?
Transcript
Tamara K. Anderson
00:00:00.400 - 00:01:42.920
Do you ever feel like you're driving through life in a complete whirlwind of chaos, being pulled in a million different directions with your phone, your schedule, and the noise of the world? We are constantly being bombarded by information, but we often miss the one thing that matters the very most.
Today we're tackling the high stakes question, why faith goals. And by the end of today's episode, you will understand how a single spiritual anchor can shift your entire world from good to great.
And we're going to help you solve that pain of being dizzy and distracted by showing you how to find peace that remains even when the kitchen is messy and the to do list is long. Stay tuned. Ordinary Women Extraordinary Faith When God calls, we say yes.
The Arise Women of God Podcast
hello and welcome to another episode of the Arise Women of God podcast. I'm your host, Tamara K. Anderson, and joining me today is Amy Johnson, a member of our Women warriors of Light Advisory board.
And in today's episode, we're moving from frantic to focused. First, we're going to talk about the dizzying distractions of this world and why we need a spiritual filter.
Second, we'll revisit the story of Mary and Martha to see how to discern the best over just the good. Third, we'll share the fence post analogy that reveals the most important route for your life.
And finally, we'll explain why faith is an acceleration principle for every other dream that you have. Let's kick it off with Amy sharing about the whirlwind of distraction.
Amy Johnson
00:01:43.640 - 00:02:58.440
I think that it's because we live in a world full of distractions. I feel like we are constantly being pulled to look in any other way, any other place besides God.
I feel like there is a constant barrage of information misinformation thrown at us constantly. Just even for years, I've felt as you're driving down the freeway, there are a million places we could be looking.
And we're so used to that level of information being thrown at us that we're take, we are just, we're taking it in so fast that you'll get home and you'll think, I saw this thing. Where was it?
And it isn't till the next day you're driving down the freeway and see it that you realize, oh yeah, I didn't even see it, but I saw it driving down the freeway. So I think that's for me why faith goals become so important.
Because the, the distractions in this world are literally just dizzying and they create this, this effect of a whirlwind of chaos. And I need to be focused.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:02:59.240 - 00:05:36.180
We are literally taking information in so very fast, we don't even realize how much it is draining us. In that whirlwind, we have to decide what our priority is. It reminds me so much of the story of Mary and Martha.
Two women doing good things, but only one who has the best thing for that moment. Mary chose the great part while Martha was settling for the good part.
And I, I was pondering this morning a little bit about Mary and Martha's story when Jesus is teaching and Mary is sitting his feet and Martha, Martha is, you know, busy working in the kitchen, trying to prepare food for everyone. And I think really what that story boils down to is what is the best thing that I could be doing right now. Right?
And if we put God first, then he will help us figure out what our priorities should look like on a hourly basis, on a daily basis, on a weekly basis. And I think that is why having faith goals is so important.
Because as we strengthen that connection with God, as we learn to hear him better, those little whispers that come into our mind, you need to text this friend right now. But I'm in the middle of this. Like you were saying, I'm distracted over here doing X, Y and Z.
But the thought is, no, you need to text this person, yeah, okay, I don't know why, but here I am.
So faith goals help us strengthen that ability to hear God and then to be able to hopefully discern what is most important in our lives right at that very minute for Mary and Martha, Mary was able to discern that she sat at the Savior's feet. Not that. Option two, cooking the meal wasn't important. Jesus had to eat too.
But it strengthening our faith helps us be able to figure out what is the best and highest priority that we can have right this minute. There is a famous quote from the book from good to Great that says good is the enemy of great.
If we want a great life, a life of impact, we have to keep our eye on the anchor.
Amy is now going to share a beautiful story about her parents that shows why an anchor can look different for everyone as long as the result is peace.
Amy Johnson
00:05:37.180 - 00:07:21.610
In Mary and Martha's story, the symptom is really what I find fascinating. Let me explain. My mom is a scriptorian. She loves the scriptures. She loves to learn about the scriptures. She in the scriptures all the time.
My dad is a doer. He's always about doing good. Always. That doesn't say my mom is never doing good.
And my dad is never in the scriptures, but they definitely have their fortes. And mom talks about how that used to bother her that she would try and talk about scriptural things with him. And it didn't go that great.
It used to really bother her. And she's talked about one day she just felt the spirit say to her, this is the way he draws near to me. This is the way you draw near to me.
This is the way he draws near to me, basically. And I think what is interesting about Mary and Martha's story is that it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing or the wrong thing for Martha be doing.
She does not have to look like Mary, but the indicator that she wasn't doing the good part was that she was not at peace. That's why she came to the Savior and said, don't you care that she's not doing helping me? She wasn't at peace.
And I think that's a really big indicator that our faith goals are in the right place.
That doesn't mean things don't get crazy and hard, but that means that when we center ourselves and we take a second and take a breath, are we still at peace?
Tamara K. Anderson
00:07:21.970 - 00:07:35.170
I love that. If you aren't at peace, it's time to recenter. Amy is now going to share us a powerful lesson she learned about plowing a field.
That is the perfect metaphor about why we need faith goals.
Amy Johnson
00:07:35.330 - 00:08:17.380
Here's another thought my dad taught my daughter when she was like 17. He said, One day this farmer hired me to plow a field and I didn't. I'd never ridden a tractor before. I didn't know what I was doing.
And the farmer said, you just get in that tractor and you see that big fence posts out there, you just drive toward that pole and you just keep your eye on that pole and that'll create a straight line. And then you can follow that straight line the whole rest of the field. For me, that's why keeping my eye on Jesus Christ gives me better goals.
And that's why I want faith goals instead of just goals.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:08:18.910 - 00:08:43.230
When you keep your eye on Jesus Christ on every row in your field, your health, your family, your business, everything starts to straighten out. It's the most efficient way to get from point A to point B.
If we set that one goal right, if we keep improving our connection with him, then he does bless all the rest of those rows, it's going to turn out just fine, you know?
Amy Johnson
00:08:43.550 - 00:08:44.030
Yeah.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:08:45.079 - 00:08:53.239
You want to set a physical fitness goal? Great. Let me inspire you how to do that. Best. Do you know what I mean? What's right for you?
Amy Johnson
00:08:53.559 - 00:08:53.959
Right?
Tamara K. Anderson
00:08:54.199 - 00:09:58.030
So it's beautiful how that one thing can influence every other aspect of your life and it doesn't even necessarily have to take a whole lot of time to do it right? Sometimes it's five minutes here, a prayer in the car while you're driving. It can be super simple. So why faith goals?
Because they're the only way to cut through the noise and find the best path for you. You don't have to settle for just a good life. You can have a great one led by God's spirit.
If you're ready to find your fence post and start plowing a straighter path, go download our free A Guide to Goal Setting for Christian Women. It's on our Women warriors of Light website and we'll drop a link for it in the show notes below.
It will also help you find that piece that Amy talked about today.
So, my friends, I hope that this episode has helped you know how you can calm the crazy chaos in your life and find more centered peace in Jesus Christ. Until next time. May you arise. Do it God's way. God strong.
