Has a nice ring to it…
What do you think of when you hear the phrase “40 days and 40 nights?” Does it conjure thoughts of torrential downpours and rising floodwaters? Maybe of a starving Jesus being tempted in the wilderness? These are the top two that always come to mind for me, but even if your thoughts went elsewhere, chances are you connected it in some way to scripture.
I’m no theologian, but you don’t have to be one to recognize that the number 40 must have some sort of significance, because you see it time and again all throughout the bible. A quick google of the phrase “forty days and forty nights” landed me on a page that observed “In every case, the forty days/nights/years come just before something new.”
For me, I most recently used a 40-day period as a time to discern whether or not to fully commit to pursuing the World Race after grad school. I know I’m quick to get caught up in the next big, exciting opportunity I’m presented with, so I wanted a buffer between my initial excitement and an intentional commitment I could confidently say I was led to.
Throughout the process, I reached out to several other people to partner with me in praying and considering what God may want me to do, and I can’t thank them enough for committing to doing that with me through those 40 days. And now, here I am, on course to launch with the World Race next October! Talk about “something new!!”
With all of that in mind, today marks 40 days until the new year. I encourage you to use this time to prayerfully consider how you might want to grow, what you might should do, or to just attune yourself to God’s will for you during this upcoming year.
More than a Resolution
If you’re like me, the term “New Years Resolution” just doesn’t hold much weight. Mostly because it’s become a lighthearted joke in many I’m-going-to-get-back-in-the-gym circles, and they aren’t taken all that seriously, usually fizzling out after a month or two. But with a “40-day mindset,” every decision becomes super intentional.
If you’d have spent 40 days thinking about that one thing you ended up buying but now regret that you did, do you think you would’ve bought it? What about committing to that one thing you wish you could back out of but now it’s too late, would you have committed?
Today is the perfect day to begin thinking about the upcoming year. You don’t have to have it all figured out by tonight, but start thinking about where you want to be heading. Partner with God in preparing for what He has in store for you. Figure out what you want out of life, and what type of mindset would help you pursue your goals during the next year of your life in order to bring you a little closer to achieving it.
For me, one super simple but tremendously effective way I’ve learned to start a new year is with one single word in mind. It doesn’t matter what that word is, but it should speak to you on a deep level, so that just bringing it to mind will ground you in your purpose and remind you of the mindset you set out to have at the beginning of the year.
My word for 2020 is Intentionality. I want to remind myself to be intentional – with people, with decisions, with my actions. I want to be present in every moment, and make decisions and do things for reasons that are more purposefully in line with God’s will than a flippant “I wanted to in the moment.”
I challenge and encourage you to find a word. Spend 40 days thinking about it, or even just 40 hours. Shoot, I’d even take 40 seconds! But pick a word that speaks to you and grounds you in a mindset that will benefit you throughout the coming year, and the growth you experience from it will continue on throughout the rest of your life!!
Words I’ve latched onto in the past still resonate with me today. I don’t move on from them, I just add to the list. This gives me time to really meditate on each word, and they all add together to give me the foundation for the character and mindset I want to have in order to be the person that I want to be!
So, what’s your word?? Comment below to let me know and to inspire others to find theirs! And if you don’t already have one, feel free to come back to me in 40 days;)
Until then,
Some of my past words if you need some inspiration: Faith, Perspective, Balance, Perseverance, Contentment, Purpose. My plan, Lord willing, is to write a future post for each one, going more in depth into why I chose that, the circumstances surrounding that time in my life, and the benefits and lessons I learned as a result! So make sure to subscribe for blog notifications so that you won’t miss out!!
Also, please feel free to share this and any post on social media, especially if you’ve found value in the content or feel others might benefit from it! It’s become my life’s purpose to help others develop into the best versions of themselves possible, and I truly believe this practice will aide tremendously in that. Other than that, would love to just spread what God has done and continues to do in my life with as many people as possible, so it would be awesome if you choose to help be a part of that!!
