New Year. New Level.
I have always been a goal-oriented person. I love the feeling of accomplishing a goal. A typical week begins with me outlining a checklist of tasks to complete. Sometimes I’ll put an item on the list I’ve already completed just to mark it off. My guess is this is part of what makes me a great type three.
I have found there is a natural desire in each of us to want to better ourselves. We don’t like to stay stuck. That’s why every year in January, whether we write them down or not, we set goals for ourselves. Those goals may be in our careers, relationships, social lives or health. The reason this desire feels so natural is that it was placed in each of us by design. I believe God desires for us to go to new levels.
Paul describes this desire clearly in Philippians 3.
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God’s call through Christ Jesus to the life above.
Just this week I found myself in a conversation about goals. We host a small group at our house of young professionals and in our discussion, we ended with this thought: when it comes to making goals, consider the “who” over the “what”. Good goals consider the outcome more than the accomplishment.
As I look at this year, 2019 in January feels daunting. I have never been so unsure yet sure about a year. And although I can’t control the outcome, here are a few things I am striving for to better myself and the who I am becoming:
Read one book a month.
My first book of the year, Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller.
Set personal health gains.
Since our big move last year it has been a whirlwind getting settled. We both started new jobs, moved twice, bought a house and on and on the list goes. The daily practices of rest and exercise have taken a back seat. This year I want to make gains in my personal health to find a balance between work and rest and give some intention to my health. I’m now in my thirties and quickly realizing my body doesn’t quite respond like it once did. This may look like hitting the gym or taking a real day off.
Be a better husband.
Camylla and I have been married for a little more than 3 years now and we’re beginning to settle into each other. What I want for us is to stay in love and not just become good at living with each other by tolerating each other’s isms.
So this year I am taking an initiative to do those small things I did while we were dating that made her fall in love. Opening the door, buying flowers, going on dates, you know, the cheesy romantic things that show you care. We’re also starting a daily marriage devotional to invest in our spiritual lives together. We do ministry together, which has been awesome, but it becomes too easy to do the things of ministry without taking time to pour into our own spiritual lives.
Live with anticipation.
In past years I have begun with a great sense of expectation. I’d have lofty ideals of how I saw the year unfolding which inevitably ended in disappointment. Anticipation and expectation are vastly different ideas. One is rooted in hope while the other in entitlement. Hope keeps us open to possibilities we couldn’t even imagine, whereas entitlement comes with pre-conceived notions and generally relies on other people reacting and behaving in the way we want them to. My goal for this year is to live with hope, open to any possibility of what God wants to do in me. Fully open to God. Open in my way of thinking–forgetting what is behind me. With open hands–holding nothing back. With an open heart fully trusting in God, whatever it looks like, wherever it leads.
Write a post every month.
I have this dream to write a book. In an effort to go to the next level in my writing, I am beginning the practice of writing regularly. The only way to get better at something is to practice. So here we go!
This is my year to rise!
