Happy 2016!!!

Does anyone else feel the anticipation of this new year?!

I love the changing of times & seasons (maybe it’s my name), but this year is especially exciting to me. Spiritually the air feels alive with electricity, as if God’s up to something. The scripture that kept coming to mind around New Years Day was Isaiah 43:

Thus says the Lord…

Behold, I am doing a new thing;

now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness

and rivers in the desert.

He is doing a new thing!

One phrase that resonated with me was “A Joyful 2016”. All around me, I see breakthroughs happening for friends and family — including us — and it brings great joy! Dreams held tightly for many years, decades even, are unfolding. God is indeed doing new things.

In the spirit of newness, you may have noticed some big changes on my site: A new web design, logo, & updated pages! Every year or two, I love giving this space a refresh for inspiration, visual interest, and to keep up with design & technology trends. I hope this makes it easier to find what you need around here 🙂

2016 brings much newness into our lives! Highlights include:

1. Our move from Texas –> Florida over the holidays to live near fam ♥
2. Pregnancy halfway mark with our first little one, Miss Abigail!
3. My husband’s promotion to “Team Lead” at his company
4. New clients for my business
5. New career dreams for Brian & I, this year & beyond!
6. Desire to launch a women’s or couples ministry {wherever God reveals the greatest need}
7. Build / buy a home near family & community

With so many changes, what will be my #1 focus, my “Word”, for 2016?! I have two:

1) Devote

While praying for my word this year, things like commit, succeed, and focus came to mind. Then during a conversation with my husband, I realized one word captured the spirit of them all: Devote.

Yes, everyone loves achieving goals, but resolutions are abandoned for a reason: We don’t connect with them personally. We make a list of “Shoulds” instead of our true goals & desires. Resolutions aren’t meant to address our head only — we must zone in on our WHY, the heart behind each one, to stick with them. When we make goals merely about determination & commitment*, our hearts drift away from said goals & towards our true desires.

The idea of Devotion means connecting our goals with our passions — combining our heads and hearts. I can say I want to date my husband weekly or spend time with the Lord each morning, but if I make each one more about “keeping an appointment” instead of “connecting with them”, I lose sight of why I created this goal in the first place & toss it aside. Instead, pinpointing our true reasons behind each goal increases our stick-to-it-iveness 🙂 This is a game changer people!

The questions to ask myself this year are: What am I devoted to? What does God want me to be devoted to? If a goal doesn’t pertain to either one, it’s time to remove it from my list.

*[Note: I’m not saying to neglect our commitments, but instead to revisit them for their “Why”. If we’re making insignificant commitments or overcommitting to that which doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of life, we’d be better off letting those ones go.]

2) Simplify

The idea of following my ‘devotions’ instead of mere commitments leads me to this next word: Simplify. 

This word is ringing loud & clear to me these days. I wanna purge my life of excess to make room for what belongs — the right people, belongings, events, activities, even clients & food/supplements — whatever creates growth in myself & in others. I want to rid myself & my family of any “dead weight” spiritually, relationally, physically, schedule-ally :), etc. because then we become free to do what’s best for us. We want to be effective in every area, so we must trim the fat, leave margin for rest / fun / the Lord / each other, and eliminate what isn’t working.

And guess what must go, too? Guilt trips. Jesus didn’t do it all. He didn’t meet every need or say ‘yes’ to every request. So if He’s truly our leader, then neither should we. We must prayerfully consider what our lives have room for, what He’s beckoning us to do, and what (or even who) He may be calling us to step away from.

My second reason for seeking simplicity? I want to commit to what my heart desires most — that whole concept of devotion. I no longer want to do things simply because “I’m supposed to”. Yes to laundry & other necessities, sure, but no to stretching myself (& my family) so thin and running us ragged to cater to others’ demands. We simply don’t have room to be everything to everyone — none of us do — and we have to make sure we’re taking care of our God-given responsibilities & ourselves & our family, not in place of ministry but alongside it.

Proverbs 29 says,

The fear of man brings a snare,
But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.

I want to continue being sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading in my endeavors instead of the wishes of everyone around us because when we say “yes” to the wrong things, we say “no” to the RIGHT ones & the RIGHT people — our spouses, kids, BFFE’s, and the important people God’s placed in our lives! So YES to my true needs (often overlooked in the past), our marriage & family, and God’s priorities for our lives… and NO to the rat race, to striving, to trying for ‘perfect’, or people pleasing.

I’ve found life is much simpler when we only look to one Lord for guidance — God — and avoid trying to take His place in others’ lives, too. This means letting go of control, releasing issues & worries in prayer, and letting Him do the heavy lifting for the people we love. It also frees us up to be faithful in our role in helping them, nothing more or less.

With that said, here are my {simplified} goals for this year. I chose 2 per category to devote myself to. [See what I did there?] 🙂 

My 2016 Goals

Spiritual

Daily devo + build community at our lovely new church

Physical

Move 30 minutes daily + 11 PM bedtime

Family

SIMPLIFY + enjoy our new city ♥

Career

Support Brian’s goals + create excellent work for clients!

Creative

Blog weekly + write a devo or ebook

Personal

Be thoughtful + love not judge!

Above all, this year I want to say YES to God.

What is YOUR word for 2016? What goals do you hope to achieve to further the vision God’s given you? Let’s give Him all we have this year & see what He does with it! ♥♥