This past year has been the most challenging and the most exciting year of my life! The Lord has taught me so many wonderful things about Himself, myself, and life in general. He has brought some of the most incredible people into my life that have change my life forever. It was truly a a year for the books, and I am so excited to see what the Lord does next year while I am on the World Race!
As this year comes to a close, we all look back on our lives and determine if we really accomplished the goals we set in the beginning of the year. Last year, I made a New Year’s resolution to put aside the “self-sins” of my life, including self-righteousness, self-loathing, self-centeredness, and even (surprising as it may seem) self-sufficiency. That may sound crazy, but this time last year, I was feeling very convicted of how I was living my life: with the idea that I shouldn’t be trying to strike out on my own. We were designed to do life with other people rather than by ourselves (“…it is not good for the man to be alone…”- Genesis 2:18). Self-sufficiency looks and sounds good, but the temptation to say “look at all that I did for myself” is ridiculously high. So that was what I resolved to eliminate from my life. And you know what? Though I still struggle with some of these from time to time, I have made LEAPS AND BOUNDS in achieving this goal. Can’t wait to continue to grow in these areas next year, too!
This year, I am going to be stepping out into the unknown and uncomfortable in more ways than one. I am unbelievably excited about the World Race and sometimes still cannot believe this is where the Lord is leading me next! With all the anticipation of what this next year will bring, I have made a list of 11 new resolutions (in honor of my 11 month-11 country journey) that I want to work on this year. I’m not just challenging myself; I’m challenging the Lord! He proves to us time and again that He is able to do more than we even think to ask of Him. So why not give myself goals that are unattainable by my own strength and trust Him to help me where I naturally fail?
In no particular order, here are some ways I want to grow this year:
- I want to grow in prayer and expressing my worship to the Lord.
- Lately, I have really become OBSESSED with prayer and alternative ways of worshiping the Lord. Prayer is one way we can worship Him. I just want to grow in full freedom, worshiping the Lord with my whole being (i.e. dancing, shouting, singing, meditating, literally whatever I feel led to in the Spirit). If you have a prayer request, PLEASE let me know how I can pray for you! Shoot me an email or a private Facebook message! I always love adding more things onto my prayer requests list!
- I want to experience the Lord in a way I have never experienced Him before. I hope to understand His heart more intimately and more fully.
- The Lord is an infinite God. He is much bigger than any of us can ever fully experience in our lives. We will have all of eternity to learn all we can about Him, but I want to get a head start! The Kingdom is HERE! Eternity starts now!
- I want to grow in assurance to God’s voice, speaking whatever and whenever He leads me to. I want to hear from Him CONTINUOUSLY and much more clearly than I do now.
- I am His instrument; I do not make music unless He interacts with me. God, speak!
- I want my reflex to all of life’s stresses to be “bringing my concerns and worries to the Lord.”
- Adventures in Missions is very big on what they call “ATL,” which stands for “Ask the Lord.” I pray that whenever the enemy tries to attack or speak something over me or my loved ones, I bring it the Lord and ask Him what HE thinks about it. Let me just tell you, the enemy is nothing but a liar.
- I want the Lord to tear down my defenses and anxieties that are keeping me from healthy bonding and attachment in my communities. I also pray He helps me build healthy boundaries instead.
- Phew, this one is a painful one to admit. I have issues with attaching and bonding to people in a healthy way. I understand this even more now after reading Changes that Heal by Dr. Henry Cloud (highly recommend; it will blow your mind). But I know that when we bring our struggles to light, the Lord heals us and helps us work through it! Don’t hide the pain! Call it out and rebuke it!
- I want to make life long friends with my squad mates.
- This goal is going to be achieved without a shadow of a doubt. I love my squad. The more I am around them, the more of the of the Lord I see in each of them. The Lord has brought us all together for a great purpose. I cannot wait to grow in community with these incredible people. Truly, I love them all so much already!
- I want to love everyone radically (without limitation or exception).
- This is something that the Lord has started to do in me without me even realize it. I pray I continue to grow in love with His people. May I continent to resemble Him in each and every way. I recommend reading ANYTHING by Bob Goff if you want to be inspired to love people in radical ways! Love Does and Everybody Always are two of my favorite books that I have read this year. Life. Changing.
- I want to grow my hair out.
- This one is kind of ridiculous and silly, but it has been something I have considered for a while! Awkward mid-length hair, here I come! Hahaha! This is just more for curiosity’s sake than anything else.
- I want to exercise every day.
- Our bodies are a temple, and I am realizing more and more every day how important fitness really is (not just for our physical health, but our spiritual one as well)! It’s one way we can worship the Lord: by performing tasks and pushing our bodies to do the things the Lord designed for our bodies to be able to do! Reaching your potential is honoring and pleasing to the Lord.
- I want to learn to love myself and my body.
- This one is another hard one to acknowledge. I have had a lot of issues with body image, and I often think and act really harshly with myself. I hold myself to ridiculously lofty standards that no human can ever really achieve. Physically, I have often thought of myself as plain, and I am not what most people consider “fit.” But the Lord has really started to heal this in me! The Lord worked so hard on me. Loving His handiwork and acknowledging it for the masterpiece that it is is an act of worship! Lord, you are so good! You made me intentionally and perfectly for Your purposes! If You can love me, I can, too!
- I want to read through the entire Bible.
- I have read through it before, but it wasn’t until this past year that I really fell in love with the Word and studying it! I love to color-code and write in my Bible now! I bought a journaling Bible for my Race SPECIALLY for this purpose!
I am so excited to see what all the Lord will teach me over this next year! Lord, may I continue to grow in my understanding of you. I pray I resemble you more and more every day! To You be all the glory and all the honor!
In all things, be blessed!
AG
