It seems like the trendy thing to do these days to pick a word for the upcoming new year and for most people, the word they choose usually has something to do with a goal they have or something they would like to accomplish in the year ahead. It’s like the new version of a New Year’s Resolution for people who don’t want the commitment of banning themselves from junk food or committing to the gym for the next 365 days.
While I wasn’t really looking for a specific word to focus on for the new year, I did ask God for a direction or a new focus for this next year. I keep getting the feeling that a page is turning into a new chapter for me and my family and I wanted to know how God wanted me to approach that.
Almost instantly, I had an answer.
A couple of different answers, actually.
The first, is that this would be a year to listen.
Listen to God, first and foremost, and listen to others, especially those closest to me. And listen in a way that is beyond mere hearing, but REALLY listen to people. Listen to their struggles, listen to their cares, thoughts, passions, and needs. Listen as if to prepare for action. Like listening for key details that would tell me how to proceed in helping someone or caring for others.
This one honestly felt a little daunting, because as much as I hate to admit it, listening is not my strong suit. Not because I don’t want to listen, but usually my brain is going 100 mph in a thousand different directions thinking through my day and all of the upcoming things I need to plan out and I don’t like to take the time to stop and listen. It’s not impossible, but uncomfortable, if that makes sense.
And I’m starting to recognize that going along with taking the time to listen is going to have to be a commitment to slow down and be more intentional with everything that I do. Being more concerned with others than with myself and my priorities.
The second thing I felt like God was saying was to learn to recognize His voice. Like really, know His voice and be able to discern in a moment if something was from God. Thinking back over this past year, all of this makes a lot of sense.
2023…
2023 was a year of growth for me. Of learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable and let me tell you, it took me every part of this past year to start to crack the surface on this one. It has been a year of learning to go with the flow, which as a planner, is not something that I typically enjoy. It has been a year of pushing myself and maybe more importantly, allowing myself to be pushed by others, to do things outside of my comfort zone and beyond what feels “safe.”
At times, this was extremely awkward, learning to navigate a new normal that I felt like God was calling me to. Other times, I made myself “not think, just do” and prayed it would work out. Needless to say, I learned a lot and I now feel as if this is only the beginning of learning to be uncomfortable.
Uncomfortability is Key
When I first felt like God was calling me to be uncomfortable, it scared the crap out of me! Honestly, who likes to be forced out of their comfort zone?! But I knew that if I was going to grow, I needed to be less concerned with what I wanted and what felt comfy for me and more concerned with what God wanted.
What I quickly realized is that when I got passed that, God was able to work through me in a new way that I hadn’t experienced before. It’s like a new level of faith and dependency that I never would’ve experienced otherwise. And the more I step out in faith, the more comfortable it has become.
I’ve learned that there’s a difference between saying that you are willing to depend on God through anything when you know what to expect, and to follow after His will even through the unexpected.
It’s definitely still scary, but there’s a new kind of excitement to see where God takes this ministry and how He is able to work through my life with full surrender.
Back to 2024…
So with this new excitement, I approach the new year. Letting go of my goals and priorities and allowing God to show me His direction for moving forward. Striving to strengthen my faith, and even let go of the idea that I even know what that means yet. My only goal this year is to live with unclenched fists around the thoughts and beliefs that I’ve carried so far; to be pliable and allow God to shape not only my life and ministry, but also my understanding of it.
I want to be more like Jesus, even if that means starting from scratch and I’m excited to see what He does with it.
