Hello, fresh start. Hello to new resolve, goals, and blank calendar pages. Hello, memories to be had. Hello, songs to be sung. Hello, new people to love. Hello, feelings to be felt.
I do a word every year, with the exception of 2015, for many reasons.
This year, I can't choose between 2 words, so I'm picking them both. They are both/and. They are essential for growth is so many ways. They are where.I'm.at. And they go together on multiple levels.
Self-care & Prayer
That's what they are. No fluff, no fru-fru...and really no words needed to explain.
I must take care of myself. I need to do that spiritually, personally, physically, as a parent and wife, friend, homemaker, and a children's director at my church. I need to put up firmer boundaries. I need to be able to prioritize and fight battles that matter (instead of all of them). I need to take care of me so I can take care of those who need me.
2015 was essential in my spiritual growth, especially in prayer. It was such a dark year. "Valley of the Shadow of Death" we call it around our home. Through prayer, I saw answers that I have never quite seen, and I have prayed prayers I have never quite prayed. Between the War Room and a new focus in my prayer journal, I have seen God work in my heart and those around me. I was brave when I used to struggle to seek the answers to hard things. I was tested in seemingly every way, and on the other side, I realized that through prayer, I sustained.
I didn't thrive. But this year I will. Sustaining can often be as important as thriving, I think. But this year, I will thrive. I will seek. I will find. And I will use this verse to guide me:
So, hello 2016. It's me.
Love you and your blog.
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