If I’m going to be honest this last year was tough. I made some pretty poor decisions but I also made some really awesome ones. I was wrong…a lot. I was hurt and I hurt others. I loved harder than I ever have and experienced loss as well. Life is messy.
This year was also beautiful and full of so many blessings. This time last year I sat on the beach and watched the waves crash in to the shore. I sat in awe of God’s beauty. I said goodbye to 2013 and ushered in 2014 with open arms and boy did God show up. That day on the beach I set some goals for myself. Goals that I felt challenged me but that could be attained. These weren’t any old goals though. I wrote them down, I looked at them often, and I put them in to action. For the first time in my life I was striving for more than a smaller waistline ( although this was on the list.) I knew that I wanted my life to look different. I wanted more for my life. I knew I wanted to reach those goals and set new ones. I knew that God had big plans for me but I never knew how big they were until a few months ago. I’m so thankful for His perfect timing. Here is what my 2014 goals looked like :
- Read the bible in a year
- Go to Africa
- Be more spontaneous, adventurous, and live life more fully.
- Start a girls’ bible study
- Budget and save more money
- Read 25 new books this year
- Exercise more, feel good about your body.
- Seek a deeper relationship with God. Make him a priority.
I didn’t excel in all of them but I did accomplish the majority of them. It amazes me to look back on this year and see just how much God was moving in my life. How much He cared about my goals, my desires, and how He was intertwined in making all of them happen. He is so good. Despite the hardships this year brought, He remained faithful. I pray we all remember that going in to 2015. We should be expectant of the gifts He has to offer us…always.
This next year looks a little different though. I won’t have an income or simple comforts like my king size bed. I’ll be traveling the world with nothing but the items in my backpack and a whole lot of Jesus. So my goals look drastically different than they did last year. With that being said here is my list for 2015 :
- Show mercy, give grace more freely, and love harder than you ever have before.
- Soak up the adventure. Be spontaneous and do the things you’re afraid to do.
- Listen more than you speak
- Share your story even when it hurts to tell
- Develop a deeper prayer life with God. Dig deeper than the surface level with Him in my prayers.
- Memorize more scripture. Be a student and study the word more often.
- Write everything down, blog when you can, and soak up the stories of those around you.
- Be present. In every situation. Let go of the need to cling to social media this next year.
- Let go go any and all expectations of this year. Allow God to work and move. Let the rest fall by the wayside.
I want to end 2015 knowing I gave it my all and this list sets me up for that! Please continue to pray for me and my squad as we prepare for launch next week.
May you all have a blessed New Year!!! Let’s do this 2015!
