The random, awkward space in between the craziness of finals/traveling/Christmas/Cru Conference and the start of the Spring semester.
It sure seems like an ideal time to evaluate the past and look forward toward the future.
Oh yeah, those are called "New Year's Resolutions", right? It's already the 9th of January; is it too soon to ask how those are going?
New Year's Resolutions are notorious for fading away, sometimes quicker than we'd like to admit. We make a decision about who we want to be and what we want to stand for in the coming year. Before we know it, we've ended up right where we started.
Clearly, change requires more than just good intentions.
We make claims like, "I'm going to lose 10 lbs!" or "I'm going to read my Bible for an hour everyday!" or "I'm actually going to follow the budget that I put in place every month!" Then get psyched for about two and a half weeks and realize why we never stuck with anything in the past.
Reality.
Reality is, if you want to lose ten pounds, late night snacks of chocolate peanut butter ice cream is not going to set you on the right path. Reality is, it will be really hard to read the Bible for an extra hour every single day if you wake up at the same time you did before. Reality is, determination is not the sole factor in following a budget.
"If you want something you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done." - Thomas Jefferson
Far too often, people start with good intentions, then quit when the time comes to set realistic goals, incorporate accountability, and institute some actual self-discipline. We quit because we realize that though it was a good idea and seems right, the forces of reality are just too hard to beat. So we settle.
[Ugh. I don't know about you, but I never want to be known as a person who settles!!!]
I don't want the realist in me (or those around me!) to hinder what GOD is doing. He works in ways that are definitely not always considered realistic.
I want the "new me" in this new year to be dictated by what God is doing in my heart...
"Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalm 51:10
"Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes." Ephesians 4:23
"That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day." 2 Corinthians 4:16
Keep pushing toward the goal. Keep dreaming BIG dreams. Keep moving forward, regardless of what the world deems realistic.
Being such a ridiculously organized planner and over-preparer, it takes everything in me to just move where God takes me and leave behind my fearful "what-ifs." Praise the Lord, He is much bigger than that.
Don't lose the sense of anticipation and expectancy of something greater, but fully believe that God is MOVING in You. He has plans for your life that you could not even fathom, because they probably don't seem realistic right now. Or maybe they never will. But what He has is far more than reality.
Get excited and join the adventure. 2013, bring it on.
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