Postby lucylee » Thu Dec 28, 2023 5:00 pm
Planning for the New Year and considering WHAT REALLY MATTERS -- from Anchored Women --
Day 2
(This one was a pretty long email. Bold print added by me. Actually, they are both long. That's why it's a separate post, so you can easily just scroll through if you're not interested. The planner they sell is a pdf download to use with disc bound journals/planners, and I just don't want to do that. It looks really nice, lots of options, if that's your thing, but I'm definitely not trying to sell anything, so I took out all that stuff. I'm just sharing the thoughts the author -- Kayse Pratt -- shares in her daily emails for this week.)
Finding a focus for your season of life is the first step to any sort of plan – it’s so vitally important.
We HAVE to figure out what matters to us, and why. Otherwise we end up floundering all over the place with no direction, no momentum, and no sense of purpose. This is so true for me when I think about my work, my home, my family – everything!
So before we talk about getting ready for the new year, let’s sit down together for a minute and think about what season we’re in, and what’s really important.
Maybe you’re a new momma, up to your elbows in diapers and spit-up, and wondering where all the sleep ran off to.
Maybe you’re a momma of toddlers and preschoolers, sleeping a bit more but run ragged all day while you try to keep your kiddos from killing themselves. (WHY do they want to jump off of everything?!?!)
Maybe you’ve got teenagers, and you’re staying up late in hopes of catching them for a real conversation before they head to bed.
Maybe you’re an empty nester, or a single woman, and you’re trying to figure out what your passions and gifts are.
Everyone is at a different place in life. And that’s why your particular season matters – because it’s not going to be the same as anyone else’s. So let’s think about what season you’re in, and what really matters – both in the long run, and right now.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve really been diving into this. What matters in the long run, and how can I make sure that those things are my priority in the coming year? And not just in word, but in deed too?
Here’s what I’ve found. Right now, I’m in that mom-of-elementary-kids season. I am BUSY. Homeschooling and running a business and managing a home and trying to rest. Free time is a pipe dream unless I pay someone to give it to me.
So although I have big dreams and goals, I’m in a season of taking baby steps and slowly building on what I’ve already got, instead of leaping into something brand new. And that’s okay!
Right now, the things that matter most are these:
Meeting with the Lord in my quiet time each morning, and praying throughout the day.
Being present with my children, not distracted by the phone or computer.
Being a source of calm and peace in my home each day.
Eating well and exercising to continue healing my body.
Writing consistently and encouraging women (that's you!).
These are the things I really need to make happen right now. Everything else goes off the list.
Did you hear that? EVERYTHING ELSE GOES OFF THE LIST.
That's hard for me, honestly, because I am prone to taking on new projects and jumping into things without consulting anyone. But I want to focus only on the things that MATTER MOST right now.
I want to feel like I'm doing a good job with the things God has given me, and be clear about what's my responsibility and what's His. I want to trust Him more, especially with our finances and my business, and stop striving to make everything look the way I think it should. More than anything else, I want to grow in my faith & know God even more.
So my focus for 2024? Present + Peaceful. I want peace to be the name of the game in my home this year, and that starts with my ability to be present in the moment, right where I am, whatever I'm doing - giving what's in front of my my full attention, instead of living distracted by the next thing on my list.
I'm still working through exactly what this focus means in my day-to-day life, but that's the point of today - thinking through your focus for the next year, and asking God to show you where He wants that to be.
So today, I encourage you to think about why finding a focus might be a really helpful tool for whatever season you’re in. Narrow down what really matters.
Answer these questions:
What does your life look like right now?
What are your responsibilities in this season?
What matters MOST to you in this season?
In light of what matters most, what can you say NO to this year?
(My note -- I find this really applicable, because I spend a lot of time feeling inadequate or intimidated by a lot of people I know, people I go to church with, etc. I have to realize that I am in a different season in life. They may not have grandchildren close enough to need their day-to-day help... they may not have older parents close enough to need their assistance... they may not have a husband who is sick and needs as much time as mine does. They are retired, emptynesters, my age, but NOT in the same "season" in life.)
Day 3
The MOST important thing you could possibly do this year.
When I sit down to really think about what matters in the next year, and how to make those things happen, my first thought is always “quiet times”.
I have a pretty set morning routine, which includes reading my Bible, but there are definitely seasons of my life when I’ve strayed from the routine. I’ve been in one of those seasons lately – the press-snooze-a-dozen-times-a-morning kind of season.
But the truth is that if I don’t start my day in Scripture, I’m just not a nice person. I’m frazzled, pulled a million different ways, and trying to do everything in my own power. I snap at my kids, watch too much TV, or just stay miffed all day that things aren’t going as planned.
It’s not like there’s anything magical about reading the Bible, but there is definitely a difference on the days I do spend my first few minutes there.
When I start my days in the Word, it’s not my day that changes – it’s my heart.
I am better able to understand that I can’t do everything on my own, that life is bigger than just me and my issues, and that I’ve been so very loved and forgiven – which helps me to extend that grace to my family & friends.
God’s Word is powerful, and good for teaching, for reproof, and for training in righteousness. Why wouldn’t I start my day there?
So, as I look toward the new year, sticking with this habit of quiet times is at the top of my list. Before I start goal setting and making plans for what I hope the next year will look like, I absolutely positively must make sure that my relationship with the Lord is my foundation.
Can I encourage you to do the same?
There’s no one right way to be in the Word each day, and really there’s no one right time. I have lots of friends who do their reading in the afternoon or the evening. It doesn’t matter when you do it!
What matters is that you are learning more and more of what God’s Word says, and treasuring it in your mind and heart. Scripture gives us a filter that brings clarity and peace to the way we approach our days. And the more we know of what the Bible says, the more confident we can be in our own faith, and in talking about the Gospel with those who need to hear it. (Which is everyone, really.)
When it comes to planning a purposeful year, there's no place more important to start than the Word of God. We MUST know what the Lord says about Himself, about us, and about this world.
Last edited by
lucylee on Thu Dec 28, 2023 5:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Tomorrow is another day.
We walked on opposite sides of the road. 
QUESTION 
).