"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
Happy New Year, Dear Reader! 2013 has arrived! Are you ready? Have you been waiting on pins and needles like a child on the last day of class before his Christmas vacation begins,watching the clock obsessively and wishing his teacher would stop going on about useless educational stuff and the bell would ring so the holiday could truly begin? Was 2012 a banner year and now you're looking forward to another?
Have you been longing for the new year because 2012 was simply ghastly and you'd like to put it behind you, to start afresh?
Or, has 2013 snuck up on you? Perhaps like an unexpected car repair lurking around--you knew it was coming but had hoped to put it off for a while yet.
For me, 2012 seemed to go impossibly fast--like water streaming through a sieve, leaving me with only the scattered bits too big (memorable?) to slip through the mesh of mundane everyday-ness. I vaguely remember several expensive car repairs (probably best to keep it fuzzy), losing nearly 30 lbs (kind of miraculous, when you think about it), finding numerous ways to quietly serve others (really enjoyed that) and stretching every penny til it cried. The trouble is the little buggers aren't all that elastic. Go figure.
Regardless, 2012 was a year full of lessons. My focus for the year was "humility" and boy, I got plenty of opportunities to practice! They say that you are often most useful to God when you are broken. In that case, I must have been quite handy. Of course, there were some shining moments too. Cousin gifted me the dearest four-legged friend a girl could ask for:
and God blessed me with a couple opportunities to be truly USEFUL to someone else in ways I never was before. I also had much more fun than is probably good for me (as usual) and was able (with the help of my dear, co-party planner H) to host a series of very pretty tea parties which delighted many friends.
Best of all, 2012 brought a deepening of my relationship with God and the adoption of certain spiritual disciplines (namely tithing and daily quiet time/bible study) which, when done faithfully, add immeasurable peace to each day. I also spent a great deal of time studying what it means to be a godly woman and how that role plays out in daily life and in the church. Rather than being confining or requiring I minimize myself as I had feared Christian precepts might do, I was elated to find freedom and affirmation of the truths I already knew about being a woman--the ones God places in the very fiber of all our being. (Curious? Msg, call or text me and we'll get together for tea--too many lovely, illuminating things to share in one blog post.)
All right, so 2012 has been assessed, processed and all wrapped up. So what will 2013 bring? Well, if you've been following the wonderment for a while, Reader, you know that instead of making guilt-inducing resolutions each January, I now pick a word (or theme) to focus on throughout the year. So far I have done Relinquish and Humility. This year's word is Healthy. Here is an excerpt from this morning's journal entry to explain:
...Guide me, Father, in becoming more like your son in the year ahead. I wish to do your will and live your plan for my life in 2013. Am looking forward to this 3rd year of our relationship, of walking with you. Whatever this year holds, Father, I will endeavor to rely on you. Success or failure, I will turn to you--to rest and abide in your peace. I will celebrate successes with you and mourn losses with you. I will choose to seek your guidance and will for my life. When I sin, I will return to seek your forgiveness. I will also choose to truly accept the grace you offer and forgive myself.
As Geri Scazzero suggests, I will endeavor to control only that which is mine to manage (and manage the resources you provide wisely). I will let go of the things I am not responsible for and let others make their own mistakes so as not to enable their damaging behaviors and deprive them of learning the lessons you would teach.
Father, I ask that 2013 be a year of getting healthy. As I grow in my faith and relationship with you and as you begin to reveal a path of spiritual leadership before me, I recognize that the only way to become the most effective leader I can be, is to be a whole and healthy person. So, this year I will focus on the following areas of health: spiritual, emotional, physical & financial.
I recognize, Father, that it's impossible to achieve total success in all of these areas. There will be pitfalls and setbacks. But you will be there every step to offer your love and grace. My goal is not to pursue perfection, but instead make "imperfect progress" as Lysa TerKeurst suggests. I resolve to do my best to move forward in each of these health areas so I can step closer to being the healthy child of God you created me to be and accomplish great things for your kingdom...
Well, there you have it, Reader. I will get down to the nitty gritty of goal-setting in each of these areas over the next few weeks. But having an over-arching vision for 2013 in place and praying for guidance on what to tackle will be immensely helpful.
What about you? What kind of change would you like to see in your life this year, dear Reader? Has God been quietly pointing you toward something He wants you to focus on? Do you have that naggy feeling something in a part of your life is missing or isn't right? Is there something you long to do but don't see how you could ever get there? What would the first step in that direction be?
I know, I'm asking all kinds of squirmy questions that maybe hurt a little and seem like a lot of work. And maybe you don't really feel like thinking about that kind of thing on this blustery, first Tuesday in January. Maybe you'd rather just rest from last night's over-indulgence or kick back and watch football on this last day off. Maybe you're too busy cooking all kinds of wonderfulness for loved ones to gobble up, that you don't have time to think about how you're doing, what the year might bring or if God (is there one?) has a plan for your life. I get that. But maybe...just maybe...there might be a tiny bit more to it. Maybe a chance to start afresh. Maybe a chance to right a wrong. Maybe the smallest, seemingly insignificant step that gets you thinking and puts your foot on a path that changes everything forever.
Cheers, Reader. May 2013 bring you revelations, not too many complications and much joy!
Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. What if they are a little course, and you may get your coat soiled or torn? What if you do fail, and get fairly rolled in the dirt once or twice. Up again, you shall never be so afraid of a tumble. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Emerson quote courtesy of the Quote Garden.
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