It’s 2018!!
Am I the only one the feels like we were just ringing in 2017?!
I mean time has just gone by so incredibly fast.
2017 was a a year of change for me. Some of those changes were welcome and some….well, I probably would have e preferred a different outcome.
Here are a few highlights of the good stuff: we sent our baby, I mean 18 yr old, off to college. Did I mention that he’s 6-1/2 hours from home?!? We sent our daughter to public school after 7 years of homeschooling. We moved into our own home – 14 years of ministry has had us in rentals and parsonages…a huge blessing but I will say it’s nice to have “our” own home – one that I can paint the walls if I choose to. It might seem silly but it’s how I feel. {smile} And a big change…I’m on a new adventure. You can read about it here.
Then there were the fails. I won’t go into detail with personal stuff but I did completely miss the proverbial boat on the the plans I had to blog more in 2017. As a matter of fact, I didn’t write much at all. I even did a 31 day challenge, hoping it would spur my writing, however, I only got through day 19. For 2018, I make no promises on how much I will blog but I have set a goal to finish the 31 day series by the end of February.
Another semi-fail is that I chose a “word of the year” for 2017. I was so sure that I could focus on it and write about it and by December 31st, my outlook would be forever different. My word was MARVEL. And while there was plenty to “marvel” at, I just didn’t focus on it. And I have ended the year feeling as though I may have disappointed a few folks. So this year, I’m not choosing a word.
This year, I’m making a goal.
A few weeks back I was reading through Psalms and was intrigued by verse 6 in chapter 69. The ESV version goes like this:
Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord God of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel.
Sometimes I need to read a verse in another translation just to help me see it more clearly. While I love the phrase “through me” in the ESV, I do also like the the CSB version of the verse:
Do not let those who put their hope in you be disgraced because of me, Lord God of Armies; do not let those who seek you be humiliated because of me, God of Israel.
This verse caused me to ask myself if through my victories, failures, and missed goals, did I allow others to see Christ through me? Putting into the terms of the CSB version, was anyone disgraced or humiliated because of me?
It’s a heavy question. But isn’t it what we are called to do as Christ-followers?
Ephesians 4:1-3 tells us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling. We are to be humble and gentle, patient, loving and eager to maintain unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
So that’s my prayer…and my goal for 2018. I want others to see Jesus in me.
Do you have a New Year’s goal?
Until next time…Joy to You!