It’s the New Year and we all know what that means….New Years Resolutions. While I think the idea behind the practice of making goals for the New Year is good, I find myself cautious. I question the motive and the attitude that drive why we make resolutions. Am I giving the middle finger to last year and trying to erase it from my memory? Creating goals in an attempt to exceed a monumental year? Putting my hope in the new year to be the year that I finally lose that weight or get that promotion because who I am right now is not enough? I want to explore a different way of thinking. What if we exchange our agendas for a posture of curiosity? What if we enter into the new year with pause, with reverence for last year, in spite of the hardships? With an open heart and an open mind for all that the new year may hold.
A Surprising View
One Monday morning, while driving my kids to school, I captured a breathtaking image on my phone. While the quality of the picture is not the best, the image pierced my heart. It slapped me in the face…in the best way possible. Earlier that morning I had made a rather poor choice. The choice to get on the scale and weigh myself. I know better but I did it anyway. The number did not reflect what is to me, an “okay number”. While I am grateful I’ve made some significant progress on my journey to love myself, I still picked off a scab. I uncovered those tender places in me that cause me to question my self-worth. Those places where I’ve tied my value to a measurement. To a number.
- My BMI
- The size of my clothes
- The balance in my bank account
- The length of my to-do lists
- The number of likes on Facebook
After delivering my kids to their schools, I sat down, pulled out my phone, and opened the photo. I remembered the stunning beauty of the snow-covered mountain rising above the fog. But I hadn’t noticed what was just below the fog. A crosswalk with the signal directing me to stop. To pause. The truth and the power speaking through this image has me captivated.
A Posture of Curiosity
The measurements by which I find my value are blanketed by the fog. The lies the culture screams at me…do more, be more, make more…are blanketed by the fog. A blanket of grace and love. Seeking to find my value anywhere below the blanket of grace and love will have me walking into the middle of a street when the crosswalk is telling me to stop. I want to lift my head and pause. To ask my Father, God, for His truth. For His wisdom. For His guidance.
- How do You want me to pray?
- What do You want me to ask you?
- How do You see me?
- What would You like to show me?
- What would You like me to hold on to from 2019?
- In 2020, what would You like me to look for?
The New Year is upon us and I’m inviting you to join me at the crosswalk. Let’s take a moment to stop. To pause. Rather than creating resolutions that are tied to the cultures measuring stick, let’s become curious about what our Father sees. Let’s ask Him the questions rather than handing Him our agenda and the agenda the culture is screaming at us.
