No More New Year’s Resolutions!

I’ve always hated New Year’s Resolutions so I was pretty relieved when I found out about this campaign that has inspired so many people to do something different. I love that the idea brings such clarity, focus and purpose throughout the year. It’s about being intentional in achieving a broader goal that speaks to a heart and mind change, as opposed to some of the random resolutions that surface on January 1st and disappear around January 9th.
For all of these reasons I’ve embraced the OneWord challenge.

I started in 2012 with the word “Awaken” which was incredibly ironic since at the time I had 3 children under 3 and I’m pretty sure “awake” was the only word I knew…but I made it through the year and learned a lot about focusing my efforts and really allowing God to awaken my heart and soul to so many things around me.

And so, at the beginning of 2013 my word was LEAP. Immediately images flashed through my mind of a beautiful and graceful ballerina soaring and leaping through the air. It was calm. It was calculated. It was peaceful. It was beautiful…it was NOT an accurate image of what LEAP would mean for me in the following year.

In January, Jordan and I decided that it was time to step out in faith (translation…LEAP) and allow God to show us what HE might have planned for us rather than what WE might have planned…and so the LEAPING began. We quit one job and put our house up for sale before finding another one, moved our family to a small town in Northern Saskatchewan that we had never heard of before, and began pastoring a new church. It has been crazy and scary and sad and amazing all at the same time but we know that we are exactly where God wants us to be…and we didn’t get there without LEAPING. It wasn’t a tentative step forward while we waited for the next step to be completely obvious before taking it. Nope. It was commitment. Leaping is committing. There is no going back. Once you decide to LEAP that’s it. Your body is in motion. There is no other option but waiting for the freefall to end in order to find out where you are…and sometimes it sure seems like you are falling for a long time before something firm touches your feet.

I’ve learned a lot through my year of LEAPING. I’m a control freak…OK, I knew that before too, but I realized how much better life looks when God is at the helm. It’s pretty arrogant of me to think that I know better than…well…everyone…and that’s basically what I’m saying by trying to control everything. LEAPING is intentional. I love that it doesn’t happen accidentally. For me, LEAPING means being able to trust and it also means being expectant. There is more. There is better. I’m not going to settle for complacency or comfort. I’m constantly reminded that I need to LEAP…moving forward with complete abandon and leaning in to what God is calling me to do. It’s certainly not easy and it’s not always fun, but I’m learning new and amazing things about myself when I let go and LEAP into the potential that God has for me.

And so, for my final LEAP of 2013 I’ve decided to join Jordan in writing a blog. I’m LEAPING off the cliff of security and anonymity into a place of vulnerability. It’s time to do something that stretches me in a different way. Time to take my rants and thoughts and ideas somewhere other than just Jordan’s ear. Maybe nothing will come of it and maybe it won’t last longer than a few months, but I’m going to answer one last call for 2013 and LEAP into something new.

The LEAPING that I did this year probably looked more like an arms flailing, foot kicking, panic as I flew through the air having no idea where I would land or even how far away that landing would be…but I like to think that Heaven saw a display that was more like something out of a Russian Ballet.

I’d encourage you to take a LEAP this year. Try something new. For starters maybe that means getting rid of New Year’s Resolutions and embracing the OneWord365 campaign. Seek focus and be intentional. You won’t regret it. God will open doors to amazing things!