I don’t know how it happened, but 2016 seems to have snuck up on me. 2015 feels like it was a whirlwind, it blew in and blew out before I even realized it. This year feels different though, like it’s a year to pause and breathe for a spell.
Revelation 21:5 is the verse that seems to be sticking in my mind as I think about this new year. We can’t always anticipate what the new year will bring, but a new year is a blessing. It’s the opportunity to begin again. Maybe 2015 wasn’t a good year for you. Maybe it was a year of heartbreak and disappointment. Maybe you feel like you let yourself down or didn’t live up to your own expectations.
May 2016 be a year of grace and peace. May you speak kindly to your soul. Show yourself the compassion that you show to others.
This year, I’m focusing more on satisfaction rather than success.
I want to practice the art of contentment over the trap of comparison.
Gratitude over greed.
Peace over the pursuit of power and influence.
I want to invest in the things that matter and the things that will last. The world will try to tell you that “this is all there is” and that you’ll find happiness if you lose 20 lbs or if you wear the right designer or obtain whatever status symbol represents those who have “made it” in your circle of influence (a book deal, a promotion, a new job, a spouse, a child, a position). I hate to tell you, but you can obtain all of these “good” things and still feel empty.
Our worth doesn’t come from our accomplishments. It comes from who we are and WHOSE we are. We’re not more valuable because we look a certain way or because we can check off more items from our bucket list. We have value because were are fearfully and wonderfully made …and no amount of success (or failure) can change that.
Last year, I made a published a list of my goals for 2015. While I accomplished several items from my list, I didn’t do it perfectly. Life has a way of interrupting our perfectly made plans.
This year, my theme is grace.
I will write because I believe it was what I was created to do…not because it’s a stepping stone to a career or to success.
I will make music and art because I feel that it’s what I was made to do…even though financially it offers me little.
I will say “no” to the things that rob the time and energy from the things I feel called to do.
I will take care of myself and my family and will not offer either on the altar of the American dream.
So…I may not be the perfect blogger. I may not follow the rules required for success…because success isn’t really my goal anymore.
I want to be faithful. I want to be true. I want to be content with what I have and the opportunities I have been given.
“Behold, I am making all things new.”
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