“Just breathe…everything always works out the way HE planned for it to be. You are exactly where HE has called you to be” are the words on repeat in my head—as if to gently remind my Heavenly Father that He has a job to do here—but truth be told, He doesn’t need reminding; I do. I usually come into the New Year setting too many goals for myself because, frankly, there are so many things to improve upon. So many weeds to pull and seeds to plant. So many memories yet to make. Meanwhile, the eerie silence of sifting sands to time are ringing in my head. Time is fleeting. I can feel the urgency begin to swell in my throat as I write these very words.
Just breathe Rhonda.
My inner self, striving to go to the ‘next’ at the expense of living in ‘now’. I am sure someone reading this feels the same way. New Year. New Season. New goals. But will it be the same results? Will my attention be too divided to soak in how far we’ve come? NO!!! An emphatic, ‘not this time!’ This time, it feels different. I’m feeling a paradigm shift in finding contentment in the season that I am in. Working on one resolution at a time. Shifting from being so goal oriented to being growth oriented. Being focused on growth allows your goals to change and grow with you. A book that has added so much value to my life, entitled “Atomic Habits” by James Clear helped instill the resolve to create atomic (small) habits that produce large results over time. Remember, change doesn’t occur overnight, it happens one day at a time, brick by brick.
My first order of business at the dawning of 2023 was to refocus on studying the Word and spending time with Jesus in prayer every morning. Every year for the last ten plus years, I have read the bible through cover to cover. It only required 15 minutes every morning but this year I am doing things differently. I am going to work my way through bible studies written by the Daily Grace Co.. I am currently in the middle of a study on the book of Galatians called “By Faith” and it has rejuvenated my hunger for Truth.
The second item on the list is to kick my sugar addiction. Ouch! You see, I have a bad habit of turning to sweets or heavy carb snacks to help when I am feeling overwhelmed. My body craves them after a long, hard day. I know there are so many mamas out there that struggle with the same thing. I can feel you nodding in agreement with wherever you’re reading this. As a counter-attack to this craving that seems to rear its ugly head on a daily basis, I decided to commit to a 40-day sugar fast inspired by the book, “The 40-Day Sugar Fast” by Wendy Speake. It isn’t necessarily about losing weight, although I’m okay if that happens (Please Lord!!) but the focus will be to learn to turn to Jesus instead of food to relieve my stressful moments. So far, I am on track and have even been enjoying the journey.
Once the 40-day sugar fast is over, I will continue to make intentional changes in areas I feel I can improve upon, one step at a time. I don’t have it all figured out yet. The most important thing to remember during these first months of the year is to stay consistent! Finishing is better than starting (Ecc. 7:8). Find your daily rhythm and make one small change at a time.
Let’s give ourselves grace in 2023 and remember in our heart of hearts that we are blessed and highly favored by the one that truly matters. Jesus.
