Journalism
Growing up as the ’90s kid that I am, I remember everyone from Lizzie McGuire to Amanda Bynes having a super secret diary that could NEVER been seen by anyone EVER! And of course, the one person to always read it was a sneaky little brother.
In 2020 I want to have a diary, but not one that’s private. I guess as an adult, we call that a journal. There are a lot of times that things in life don’t feel like they’re going right. The best thing to reflect on during those times is a journal of the incredible ways that God has already gone before you and blessed you, pulled you out of a mess and saved you.
Start with a simple list. Write down 25 things that you are thankful God has done. It can be anything from breathing to the job you have the privilege of working. I bet you’ll find that 25 lines isn’t enough. Not even close.
Don’t keep your journal private. Use it to give God praise, to help others, to revel in the Lord’s miracles—big and small—and to look back on when you feel far from God.
Take this year to write. Document. Blog. Do whatever it is that will let you live in constant reminder of the valleys you’ve survived, the mountains you’ve climbed and the UNBELIEVABLE love that God delivers every time. You will NOT be disappointed.
Health
I know, I know, this is on everyone’s resolution list, but this one is different. Health is not limited to a treadmill routine and kale for lunch. In 2020, I pray that you would have a healthy heart, a healthy mind and a healthy spiritual life.
Lord knows this life is hard. Satan knows how to use the junk of this world to make your heart hard. DON’T LET HIM. Keep your heart healthy by letting things go and forgiving others. Focus your efforts on God—not the pain and hurt of this world—and release your heart of anger and resentment. Holding tight to that junk is like drinking poison and expecting it to kill the other person.
Build a healthy spiritual life with the foundation of a healthy heart, a longing for connectedness and a discipline of seeking the Lord, daily.
And for goodness sake, get your mind healthy this year by getting Satan’s lies OUT OF IT. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.”
Those nasty thoughts you have about yourself, the criticisms you repeat without hesitation…they ARE NOT FROM GOD. So get them out of your mind before they destroy you.
See? 2020 can be a healthy year, without ever lacing up a pair of running shoes.
Authenticity
The older I get, the more I find that authentic people are difficult to come by.
I don’t think it’s their fault. I know that Satan is really good at convincing people that they are not enough. As a result, people have become really good at working too hard at “being enough,” and losing everything that makes them authentic. I’m just as guilty of this.
I pray that 2020 would be a year of authenticity. That you and I would strip ourselves of what we think we need to “be” for others, and trade it for what God has made us to be—authentically me, authentically you.
When we are authentic and real, we find community that is also authentic and real. Being that we long to belong, I believe that authenticity is the only place to start. Go be you.
Inclusivity
Y’all, the church has a bad rep when it comes to exclusivity. It’s easy to say “come as you are,” and then turn around and judge someone for doing just that. I know, I’ve done it.
I pray that in 2020 we would be inclusive. That we wouldn’t judge people based on their appearance or past, but that we would love them the way Jesus does.
Christ didn’t hang out with the righteous. He was in community with the liars, cheaters, adulterers and outcasts. If we are to live a life like Christ, then it is a privilege to be inclusive.
I usually like to entertain the idea of new year’s resolutions, and like the rest of the world, I usually suck at keeping them. The good news is, there are 52 Mondays in a year to “start fresh,” and 365 days in a year to start over. I pray that my 2020, and yours, is packed-full of every single one of these. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
