THIS Year

At the beginning of a new year there can be a lot of pressure.  There are many people talking about new year's resolutions and just as many talking about how many people give up on their resolutions by Valentine's Day.  There are diet plans being advertised everywhere.  Gyms are full.  There are goals being set right and left.  Most of us hope that this will be the best year yet.  Some of us are simply glad to be finished with 2013.

My personality lends itself to an all or nothing attempt at life.  If I start something I have every intention of completing it and taking no short cuts.  For this reason I am not big on resolutions.  I know my chances are very slim of accomplishing it or keeping it up for a whole year.  That said, I love the fresh start of a new year.  I enjoy looking forward to new adventures and improving on the person I am today.  So, although I do not have a specific resolution, I have many things I want to improve on throughout this next year.

I was recently listening to a pastor who was encouraging us to let go of things from the last year that will hinder our ability to move forward into the new year.  That could be a crucial piece to starting a new year that many of us miss.  If we hold onto baggage from our past it takes up space in our mind that should be used for plans for the future.  If we are holding onto guilt or disappointment of past decisions, how will we get momentum for the next step or our next chance.  I would encourage you to go so far as to write down the happenings you need to leave in the past.  Then step into the future with space and energy push on.

Next, the pastor said to make this the year that you become what God wants you to be.  I am paraphrasing his words but it was through this statement that God really spoke to me.  What I heard was, become who God wants you to be THIS year.  Are you with me?  We talk about how the Christian walk is a continuous journey.  We strive to be Christ-like but will not reach perfection, because of our flesh, until we are reunited with Christ himself.  We are all in unique places of our journey but we are all on the journey together.  So why in the world would I think that this is the year I will arrive?  I will reach my destiny and clearly see exactly who God created me to be.  It's a journey y'all! For most of us this is only one short year of the journey.

So this January, as I begin a new year I pray that my expectations are a little more realistic.  I will strive to be exactly who God asks me to be THIS year.  I will grow and stretch wherever He leads.  I will do my best to say yes to everything He asks of me, when He asks it.  In doing so, I pray that I will be who He created me to be THIS year.