This is the season when so many of us take some time to look back over the closing year and look toward the year ahead.  This year will be an especially interesting time of reflection for me and I can only imagine, for many of you as well.

A big part of my time of reflection is to ask God to help me to see the past year with fresh eyes and I also ask Him to give me a guiding “word” for the coming year.  Last January the word was “relinquish” and I didn’t necessarily find that word to be very inspiring at the time. Now, as I reflect on the past year I see how profoundly that word served as a reminder to me that 2020 was not a year I would be able to control.

2020 has taught me many interesting things; though there are elements that I have sincerely not enjoyed.  However, I have seen myself “grow up” in some areas realizing that the inconveniences of 2020 have revealed how much I have simply taken for granted in my life: going to church, travel, eating out, gathering with friends and family, shopping, exercising in a gym, coffee dates, trainings and events, and living a mask free life.  

2020 has been a catalyst for revealing to me my need to be grateful, flexible, creative, and patient in finding ways to still keep activities and relationships fresh in my life. Whether birthdays, meetings, or holidays – it has all looked different.

Certainly it is my hope, and yours, that this is not our new normal but that we are learning to combat our present challenges and can go back to life as normal. This year took us all by surprise and between Covid and the election all of us got a bit churned up; worry, challenged relationships, inability to dream about the future, and even anger.  It is my hope that as we take time to reflect and move forward into 2021 we will be able to address those negatives and find a way to see all the good that we may have missed by being distracted by them.

As I’ve reflected and prayed over the past week I received my word for the year, another interesting one.  God gave me the word “Guard”.  The verse that came to mind to support its meaning is “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23

After 2020 I can understand why this word is necessary and I look to see where it applies to my life in 2021.

It’s time to lift our heads and dream again, replace good life practices where we’ve gotten discouraged or lazy, and set good goals for 2021.  As we know, a lot can change in a year; be on the side of good change for you and for those you love.

Happy New Year. Be blessed.