We spent the last few weeks of December looking at resolutions. Now, firmly resolved, we stare 2019 in the face and ask ourselves 'is this going to work?' Lets set aside that fear laced question and instead look at what we are going to change. If you didn't give yourself enough of a head start on your resolutions then you've probably been thinking about them or implementing them this week. I've been thinking about mine a lot.
2018 was about rest. God has been teaching and testing me in this area to remind me of the importance of obedience in rest. The last quarter of the year was more intense in this area as God asked me to give up noise, technology and entertainment. I spent a lot of the year wondering when it was going to be over...the rest, not the year. Even in those moments of impatience God was teaching me how like a child I am. The 'are we there yets' of my spiritual journey are so similar to the impatience I've seen in little ones. God took great care to keep telling me to rest, to wait, to relax, to stop worrying, to stop being anxious and to not fret.
Near the end of December, God started to reveal what He was going to be working in 2019. It's going to be a lot. It's going to be a ton of learning, growing, and working. Just thinking about it got me all worked up and ready to whip out to do lists, organizational aspiration sheets and a paper bag to breath into. Okay, maybe not that last one. I like being busy. God taught me a lot in 2018 about where I find my value. I know I was finding my worth and value in what I could do. Without that (ugh, rest) I had to meet with Jesus about what that meant. Being released from rest was like lifting the first gate at the races. I near ran into the fence in my haste. Because God gave me a year of rest, a year of coming back to a baseline of peace, I know that my resolutions are going to have to reflect what I learned last year. In anticipation of what I think God will do with my year, I have made some resolutions and goals based on growing towards areas that I want to see if God has given me a passion for, to remind me of what God taught me was important in 2018 and to test doors and see where God is moving.
So what does that all mean. I'm going to be writing more and blogging less. Dotted lines, at least for now, is going to be moving to a once a month format. Don't worry. I have a year or mores worth of blogs for you to go back through if you need something to read ;) In addition, Dotted Lines is going to be starting a YouTube channel! Why? Well, a few reasons. One of them being the fact that humor and sarcasm tend to read better with facial expressions and I might translate better to you, the audience, face to face as it were. I have some exciting publishing and contest news to announce already for 2019 but I have to hold my hat a little bit. Since submitting more articles and contest pieces is one of my resolutions, I think that bodes well for the year ;) My final resolution is to have my priorities straight. In other words, time with God has to come first, without limits. My time is His and without that source I won't be able to create, stay unafraid or hold on to peace. That's my top priority this year. To approach the potentially frantic with the sense of peace and calm that only comes from time spent with the Prince of Peace. It is going to be a straight up test of what I have learned in 2018 so I am praying and working hard to establish some good habits to support this resolve.
Video seems to be the direction for the year. I am going to be doing a lot of learning in this area through multiple outlets as I serve others and work it out for myself. It's going to be tempting to fall back on negative self talk (I hate feeling dumb and I am going to feel dumb a lot as I learn) and frantically trying to complete an ever growing to-do list. That's why my word for 2019 is Balance.
So what is your word for 2019? Have you started well this week or do you need to reset? Either way, I hope you will join me. The mission of Dotted Lines is still to embark on the amazing adventure of searching for God in my every day. That won't change no matter where we move!
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