Happy New Year!

Isaiah 48:17 ~ This is what the Lord says, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your father God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.

He teaches you what is best for you! I love this verse and His enduring faithfulness. All we have to do is listen and follow. As we get ready to enter this New Year, I am praying for more CLARITY. His clarity.

Clarity in Prioritizing…

God first, Family next and then everything else will fall into place. A friend just recently said and reflected on the importance of loving and honoring those closest to you most! This is such truth. That old adage “you hurt the ones you love the most” really shouldn’t be. Place value on the ones you love the most above everything and everyone else.

Prioritizing is important. Setting goals for each new year is a great way to reset. Most of us like to have our plans sketched out, our calendars written in, and an overall picture of what this New Year will and can hold. The possibilities! And while plans are good and organization is beneficial, I am always needing to remember that God’s plan is ultimately what we desire. We can do all the things, and make all the plans but being pliable to what He has for us this year is my main goal. Yielded to Him and His plans.

Clarity with our Family Goals…

Our family goal time is a favorite! I love a fresh take on an untouched year. Anything’s possible!! So for us, planning involves a sweet family meeting. We sit down together, have a devotion, communion, and we talk and set goals, individually and as a family. What does God have for us? And what does He have for others through us? Building our faith, giving to others, and enjoying the blessings He has given us is a wonderful thing. We set spiritual, physical, emotional and relational goals. And we pray that in all we do, it’s honoring to Him.

Clarity on my Attitudes, Thinking and Heart’s Motives…

Before I can truly carry out what God has for me and my family, my prayer is for a pure heart. And to be honest, I fail most days miserably. And though I know I’ll never be perfect, my ultimate goal is to be more like Him. And remembering that when we have struggles in life or with others, we’ll never change people. Only God can do that. And even then, they have to be willing. Having a heart that desires to help others is beautiful but sometimes, we have to let others figure it out on their own. And in the end, it’s between them and God. If we could just pray to do what’s right on our end, that’s the best start. Thinking on the good, speaking carefully, refraining from judging, living fearlessly and loving others compassionately is my heart’s desire.

Clarity with Balancing Life…

Oh, the balance of it all. We are all walking a different road and living in different seasons of our lives. For us, we keep pretty busy. We having a growing boy who is in school and sports, as well as having busy work lives, family commitments, church and school committees and so on. But how blessed are we because of all of the above?! I am grateful for it. And in order to keep everything well balanced and steady, it is important to have intentional organization, calendar planning and good time management. It is pivotal with what we want and need to accomplish. But remembering to pepper it with some spontaneity and much needed flexibility is the key. Anything can become out of balance if we’re not careful. All work and no play….you know the rest!

Overall Clarity…

So to sum up, I want to have a clear view of what God has in store. It isn’t just what’s for us and what we want, but it’s having a yielded heart to His plan. And in doing so, setting some cool goals in the process.

Proverbs 16:9 (NIV) – In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.

God Bless your hearts!

~ Tanya