Simply Blooming Grace

“Cheers to 2024!” I found myself signing at the end of a reflection exercise my women’s group did on the last day of 2023. However, at the end of my reflection, I wasn’t cheery nor was I ready to take 2024 by storm. Instead, I felt relieved…and utterly at peace.

As a general rule, I don’t make “Word of the Year” remarks or label my year with a stamp. Frankly, it terrifies me to put a label on something that would end up being the “goal” or overall trajectory of how the coming year was meant to show me. By labeling a year with one word, I felt as if I was limiting to all that God would have in store for me for the year to come.

And, if I’m completely honest, I knew that by labeling my year would mean challenging my year to see where God shows up in my life. So, I refused to label out of fear (yes, I’m outing myself publicly…I’m a scaredy cat when it comes to bold moves from time to time). “Hold strong” is what I wrote in my journal on January 1, 2023. And man, God set to work.

In this exercise, a friend of mine asked our group to reflect over this past year and identify where God has shown up in our life…whether it’s a specific event or in a series of events. As I reflected, a single word kept sticking out to me like a bold word in a blog…healing. Ultimate healing. And I immediately felt relieved. God did that. Through every wave that came my way, He was ready, sword in hand fighting my battles alongside me…and on most days, He was fighting them FOR ME.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:2-4 NIV

Reflections are a popular exercise to end the year but what about goal setting for the year to come?

Pressure on all sides whether it’s through marketing campaigns with sayings like “24 minutes a day to hit your 24 goals!” or through goal-setting workshops that involve cut-outs of magazines, muted color pallets, and scrapbooked mood boards alike to visualize your big goals for the new year.

That’s all great and dandy, and I’m a fan of visualizing your goals. “Speak it into existence” if you will. There’s truth that backs up those practices with neurological studies and what-have-you. But often times, while aligning wants or needs to the coming year’s goals, it’s easy to lose sight of the subtle nudges of what God’s wanting for your life. I know I’m guilty of that more times than not getting caught up on worldly wants or needs without aligning myself to the Lord’s wants or needs first.

I could not have predicted at the start of last year what I would have gone through, fought through, and came out to live to tell the tale…but God knew what I needed and set to work anyway.

As you head into this year and start seeing “New Year, New Me” posts on social media or the overly aggressive marketing that makes you feel like you should be more, do more, and achieve more for 2024, simply take a step back.

Find a quiet place (for me, that’s more often than not in my car or my guest room where I’m currently writing right now).

Release your hands with palms open and close your eyes.

Take a deep breathe and…listen.

Listen to the silence; to your breathing; to the hum of the car or the muffled sounds of the AC kicking on in the background.

Allow God into your heart and allow Him to speak life into what you need to work on for this coming year.

And then, write it out whether that’s one overarching word or a multitude of words.

“New Year, New Me” is hogwash. “New Year, Same God” is more like it. While we cannot predict what this year will bring or visualize the trials we will face or the ways in which we will grow, we know one thing is for certain…God remains and He knows the story from beginning to end.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV

We are not meant to know the story from beginning to end. All we need to do is pick up the pen and listen. Then, set to work for His Kingdom according to His nudge on your heart.

As for myself, I am coming into 2024 with completely open hands and a heart for writing, podcasting, and storytelling. Who knows what will be in store for me. However, as I sit here and write, all I know is that I’m moving forward according to His purpose. And the rest will flow in due time.

So, with that…CHEERS TO 2024 (cue the cheesy wink and raise of the glass)!