First things first

Happy New Year!  It’s still hard to believe that 2022 has begun.  Where does the time go?

No, I haven’t dropped off the face of the earth and quit writing.  Just took a longer than normal break.

As I pause and think about “new beginnings” and what I want to keep in my routine/life, and how I want to operate differently at the start of a new year, I have goals in mind.

Yes, before you ask, I did write them down. Why?  To hold myself accountable.  Since I’m a teacher and used to writing behavioral objectives for a student or a class of students, I tried to make my goals “measurable” as well.

What do I mean by that?  In other words, my goals are not vague.  They are specific…ones that can be assessed or measured.

Some of my goals are physical – I want to lose weight.  But I broke it down.  For example, I want to be in a new set of numbers by the end of January.  I want to lose 10% of my body weight by a certain date.  I even built-in rewards.  Rewards may sound silly, but if they keep me on track, then they are worth it!  What’s an example of a reward?  Well, I bought some fingernail polish the other day…a color I’ve never worn.  When I lose my first 5 pounds, I’m treating myself to a manicure with that pretty new pinkish-mauve color!

I have behavioral goals in other areas as well.  To declutter my cabinets, drawers and closets in January and February would be just one of several desires for 2022. I have a list of specific areas in my home that I’m trying to target and sift through.  I started New Year’s Day cleaning out my spice rack/cabinet in the kitchen and my medicine cabinet in the bathroom.  Those two were small “baby steps”, but I started small so I could check them off my list and feel like I accomplished two major things on Day 1.

But out of all the changes I want to make as another year of life has begun, the most important goals I’ve set are spiritual.  Oh, I’m still working on these.  I have thought of memorizing scripture (I’m still working on a Psalm from last year!!); I’ve definitely wrestled with reading the Bible through in 2022; and I have specific people I’ve listed that I need to pray for and/or share the good news of Jesus.

But when I stop and truly contemplate spiritual goals, there is one that is at the top of my list.  For me, it is definitely THE most important.

Spending quality time in God’s Word and cultivating a deeper walk with the Lord.  This goal is at the top of my list.

The older I get, the more I realize that salvation is totally a FREE and unmerited gift from God.  God gave Jesus up.  He sent HIM with the sole purpose of living a holy and blameless life so His Son could go to the cross and take the punishment for each of us and our sins. Jesus’ resurrection means He has defeated death and one day all believes will live forever in heaven with God/Jesus.  But it also means that I can be reconciled back to God…not because I’m good.  But because Jesus now lives within me.  His Light lives within me. No longer do I have to live apart from God…I can enjoy a closeness with Him because of Jesus.

But once I accept this gift, then the ball is in my court.

After the decision to accept Jesus as my Savior, it is up to me if I just move on and act as if nothing changed — or if I decide that I want to know the God of the Universe through His Son, Jesus.  The heartbeat of my life should be desiring to know and spend time with God/Jesus daily.

I want to “meet the Lord” every morning, pray and read my Bible not out of a sense of duty…not because I’m instructed to do so (even though that’s such a valid reason), but I want to because I’m so compelled by His love.  I want to because HE pursued me; He first loved me; He gave His all for me.  How can I not spend time with HIM?

Now, that sounds great as I type it and write it.  But on days when I’ve stayed up late or I’m exhausted and have 10 million things to do or I’ve overslept or just have a bad attitude in the morning, it’s not that easy.

But here’s what I know.  If I don’t plan it in advance, I won’t even attempt to do it.

When our son, Nathan, was growing up, my husband and I used to try and “coach” him and tell him to decide beforehand what he would do in certain situations.  In other words, if a friend asked him to lie or to steal or to take drugs, what would be his response?  For him not to be blindsided but to know in advance how he would handle it.  Now, this method isn’t foolproof, but I think it does help.

And this strategy may be applied to our spiritual life.  I know I might not be perfect with having my quiet time with the Lord.  There will be those days.  But I can honestly say that the last two years of my life, I’ve made great strides in this area. I try to plan in advance…to get up early and sacrifice so I can have time to read the Word, pray and have time to “be still” and hear from the Lord.

I truly MISS it when I don’t have that time with the Lord. It affects my entire day. It’s not that I feel guilty or that I’m under conviction.  It’s just that I desire to spend time with my best friend, Jesus.  If I don’t, my outlook is different.  If I don’t, my attitude is different.  And it only takes a day…sometimes two before I’ve wandered.  That closeness can be gone or broken in such a short time.  I don’t want to live apart from HIM.  As my pastor says, I’m desperate for HIM!  Without that time spent praying and reading my Bible and intimacy with the Lord, I’m left to just me. And that’s not pretty, trying to live off the fumes of the past.

It’s not a coincidence that two of the names of Jesus in the Bible are “bread of life” and “living water”.  Just as our physical bodies need bread/food to nourish us and water to sustain us and make every cell in our body function at optimal levels, so our spiritual bodies need time with Jesus.  Truly, He is the only One who satisfies.

On days when I’ve grabbed a few minutes here – rushed through my prayers—read some verses, my soul suffers.  I feel the lack of nourishment. 

I don’t want to read my Bible, pray and listen to “check the box”. I don’t want to spend time with HIM out of obligation so I’ll be a “good Christian”.  I want to because I “love Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength” (Matthew 22:37). I want it to be something my soul craves constantly, just as a deer panting for water (Psalm 42:1).

How about you, friend?  Will you be intentional about meeting the God of the Universe every morning or evening?

For me, it means sacrificing sleep.  Going to bed earlier so I can get up and have plenty of time to “sit and soak” – and not just rushing through my time with Him.  I need time to be quiet and listen to what the Holy Spirit wants to say to me.

I think of Jesus and his example from the scriptures.  So many instances, he was exhausted from being with crowds (teaching, healing, talking and ministering).  But he still rose early, “when it was dark” to spend time with God (i.e. Mark 1:35).  If Jesus, God’s Only Son, made this his practice when He walked the earth, how much more do I need it?

I don’t want to waste another year of my life on things that aren’t important. 

But let’s be honest.  Sometimes, it’s quite difficult to prioritize.  Other things…not just bad or trivial things, but good things get in the way.

I interrupt myself to bring you this update.  I first started writing this blog article the first week of January.  Even on January 2, I blew it.  It was a rainy, dreary Sunday morning.  I didn’t want to get out of bed.  I got up, but had no time for devotions before getting ready for Sunday School and church.  Since then, I’ve blown it other days.

On those days and after I’ve experienced failures, the devil whispers, “Just throw in the towel.  You’ll never be consistent.  It’s not worth it! You don’t really love God!”  But the older I get, the more I realize and am aware of the enemies’ tactics.  I literally say out loud, “Get behind me, devil. You’re not going to defeat me.  In the name of Jesus, I WILL grow in my walk with the Lord.”

How about you?

What are some of your goals for 2022?  Will spending time with Jesus be at the top of your list?

I’d love to hear your goals and thoughts.

As always, God put this idea on my heart to share with each of you!