Reaching for...
“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 hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
I usually try to write out 3-5 measurable goals for myself every year. Recent years have included some mix of how often I'll exercise, how many drawers and cupboards I'll clean out, how many vegetable servings I'll eat each day, how much sugar I won't eat, the number of books I'll read, and how many loads of laundry I'll do in a day.
I'm not usually very successful. I get busy and don't exercise for a few days. I don't get to the grocery so we grab take out and there go the veggies. Sugar is my stress "go to" so obviously that one's gone within 48 hours. One day without the laundry and the pile's higher than I care to admit.
And that's that. Failure. To all of it. I'll say I'm trying to give myself grace. But that just feels like an inauthentic excuse. So I trade the veggies for a pair of Little Debbie Swiss Rolls to enjoy on my yoga mat while I watch the girls toss their day's clothes on the hamper. Anyone else ever experience the same?
This year, I want something different. I want to feel like I'm running toward something more.
December was a month of the word "wholeness" coming to mind. I was hearing it while I sat at church, while I wrapped the presents, while we drove from event to event. I've been looking for my usual goals, but can't seem to find them for the big billboard in my mind reading "WHOLENESS" that stands in the way.
And as I've searched my heart for what that could mean and what it would look like, I realized something: I have never talked to God about my New Year's resolutions. I mean, not really. I know God cares about the laundry and the quality of my food intake... but I think I might be cutting myself short by stopping there.
So I still don't know the details, and as an adult, I'm learning that's ok. I think this year will include more movement, more creating, more cleaning and even more vegetables. But I won't be doing it with the same mindset. I'll be constantly driving by this billboard God's put up on the road of my mind, calling me closer to him. And I think that might make the difference this year.
What are you working towards this year?
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