What is a soul goal? It is a goal that positions us for the very best life has to offer: real contentment, instead of the restlessness of soul that drives many women to keep moving, redecorating, acquiring better things; deep joy that is evident in the midst of any life circumstance, good or bad; a growing relationship with God that leads to inner peace and a profound sense of well-being; a deeper commitment to others that connects our souls to them at the most intimate level.

Only a well-cared-for soul can deliver these goods. Here they are:

1. I want to delight God. Scriptures say that God’s eyes scan the earth searching for those whose hearts are right toward Him. I desire to be one of those with whom He can constantly find comfort and pleasure.

I want to ‘make His day’ as Noah did. Even in a dark day, God found pleasure in Noah. That is the kind of relationship I want with God.

I want Him to find comfort with me and experience delight when He thinks about me. I want to learn to hear God’s holy laughter regarding me. I want that delight in life that only an open, intimate relationship with God can give.

2. I want to ‘practise heaven’ by enjoying God now.

The Westminster catechism declares that the chief end of humankind is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. I want to experience the pleasure of knowing God with greater intensity as I age.

I want my soul to become skilled and comfortable in the practice of heaven – praising and enjoying God. I’m acclimating my eternal soul, my intrinsic self, to the values of heaven now.

Nothing would please me more than knowing I had seriously thwarted the destructive plans of the Evil One.

I want there to be no doubt about which side benefited from my loyalties. Understand, I am not envisioning some kind of Joan of Arc role here.

I am not wanting to be grandiose or spiritually ambitious. But I want to be increasingly available and skilled for the part God might want me to play in His holy drama.

I intend to nurture an adventuresome spirit. Why not be open to things in my 60s that I would not consider at a younger age?

Forget the small shockers like spitting and picking flowers from other people’s gardens. I want to drape my soul in purple and be open to experiencing mission work in Kenya at 60 or a house filled with children at 70.

I want to develop an eagerness for the unconventional, path-less-travelled life. I am not motivated by the shock appeal, however, but by the awareness that God can use people whose boundaries are unconventional and well off the beaten path.

I want to mellow toward others as I age. I want to be remembered as a truly loving person, not a tough, old bird! I would like to become more of a safe place for the people in my life. I would like my connections with others to be increasingly marked by compassion and an ability to connect with others soul-to -soul.

I just like the way a laugh rings in the face of evil. There is a holy craziness to an ageing woman who can still laugh. ‘I have confidence in God!’ is what that kind of laughter communicates. I love that!

7. I want to think less like a victim and more like a survivor.

I have some significant life wounds by this point. Don’t we all! But I want to feel that I have done more than suffered with these pains. I want to know that I have turned them into learning experiences, builders of interior character.

I want to experience ‘beauty for ashes’ as I review the unfolding of my life. May my life deepen, not wither because of painful life experiences.

I want my ageing to be impacted by contact and communion with God. May I become more astute at hearing God’s voice and seeing things, not just from a human perspective but from God’s perspective.