Now here we are so close to the new year; New Year’s Eve is tomorrow! It really has crept up on me, on so many of us, but now there’s no time to wait because time isn’t going to slow down for us.

I don’t want to waste any time and I have a lot of things I’d like to get done. I’ve mentioned before that I’m not big on the whole new year resolutions thing because I know me and know that I’m not so great at keeping them, but that I’ve been able to keep one resolution, and I’ll make the same one again this year: I’ll read the Bible from cover to cover in 90 days. That may not seem like a big thing, but it is. Have you done this before? Try it: try to get any work done, take care of the house and kids, run errands and to top that off, the enemy will put any distraction possible in front of you to keep you from getting into the Word when he knows you’re trying to do something like that.

For transparency sake, I want to disclose that I actually am making some goals for myself this year, quite a few actually. I’ve never been so optimistic about them before either. My heart is hurting about some stuff right now and I’ve decided since it’s not in my hands to change everything to where my heart desires it to be that I’m best off to redirect all of that energy into other stuff. I’ve been prayerful about goals I’ve been setting up for myself; some big, some pretty small but completely unattainable to me or I’d have done it by now. Ha! I think for now that I’m going to keep all of those goals to myself; but I’ll share them at some point and I’ll even let you know if I was successful at all of them (or some of them) and what worked or didn’t.

There’s one thing I have resolved to do every year and that’s to choose a focus word for the year. Have you ever done this? Have you ever had a “word of the year”?

The problem with resolutions is that they last for a month or two and by the middle of February or first of March they’re all dwindling down to nothing, they’re either forgotten or the expectations are so far from a reality, that they’re then replaced with feelings of frustration, hopelessness, discouragement, anxiety, and failure. We tell ourselves there’s no point, or it won’t matter, or it’s too hard, or the biggest lie of all: there’s always next year.

If this sounds like something you’ve done and you know that you’re not capable, and by capable I mean actually capable OR disciplined enough, to keep your resolutions, won’t you consider making this year different by choosing to replace your resolutions with a focus word instead!?!

Focus words are meant to help you, yes – you’ve guessed it, F-O-C-U-S on the meaning of the one word! The point of the focus word you choose is for it to help you be a better you or improve your life. Your word (or two word phrase) should be something that makes you focus on being better, something that helps you face each day with love or motivation or encouragement, helps direct your choices or decisions, something that helps ease your anxiety or keeps you grounded.

One of my friends posted she was using Take Off as her word of the year. Today I saw a post where people posted words like: grace, courage, love, faith, overcome, try, hustle, wisdom, forgive, forward, learn, volunteer, remember, move, and share.

Another friend posted Grace. She wanted a word that was going to serve as reminder of God’s grace in her life, something that reminded her what His truth said about His character, she’d been through so much during 2018. Good grief, that girl, the trials she had been through this year (she’d had a child in therapy, she got divorced, and had a job change), but she wanted to use “Grace” as her focus word to inspire her to live out her faith, to remind her to pray, to remind her to turn to God, and to remind her each and every day this year that He is who He says He is and that He isn’t capable of change; He is unchanging.

Let your word be something inspiring.

I think if you have a favorite Bible verse that has a word that stands out to you, maybe that would be great for you. Pray about it, obviously, but I think that a word that’s based on God’s word, His will for you and your life, well how could you go wrong with that?

What’s my focus word?

Watch This

Everyday I’m going to Watch This

Everyday I’m going to watch this: God’s faithfulness. Maybe sometimes I’m getting caught up in my own little world because I’m not watching, because I’m not being grateful, because I’m looking for my prayers to be answered how I think they should be answered, because I try to “help” God out sometimes. Everyday I’m going to watch this God of mine answer prayers. Everyday I’m going to watch this God of mine be faithful. Everyday I’m going to watch this God of mine work. Everyday I’m going to watch this God show off His world of beautiful creations around me. Everyday I’m going to watch this God of mine do what He said He would.

Watch This

I’m going to watch this: I’m going to watch Him . . . I’m going to watch this God of mine work miracles. I’m going to watch this God of mine restore marriages and relationships. I’m going to watch this God of mine heal bodies. I’m going to watch this God of mine bring financial peace to those who are struggling. I’m going to watch this God of mine bring to completion things that He has been working on behind the scenes for a long time. I’m going to watch this God of mine send out the harvesters.

Watch This

I’m going to watch this God of mine give me more of the things I’ve been craving: more time in the morning with Him, more time with my children, more opportunities to serve others, more strong friendships, more people who I can help. I’m going to watch this God of mine strengthen me into the strongest version of myself that I’ve ever been, because I’m going to talk to Him more about the things on my heart; I don’t need the ears of my best friends, I need the strength of my God. I’m going to watch this God of mine speak to me with every word He revealed to those who penned His written word as I read the Bible cover to cover before Easter, again.

Watch This

I’m going to watch this God of mine make me an over-comer. I’m going to watch this mighty God of mine intimidate every enemy and force of hell that stands in my path. I’m going to watch this God of mine take me down new roads I’ve never been to sow new seeds and bring new amazing people and experiences into my life. I’m going to watch this God of mine show me how to do things that I’ve never done before. I’m going to watch this God of mine show me His love even when I’m not looking for it; even when I refuse to see it.

Watch This

Dear Girl In The Mirror, Watch This;

Watch this girl let go, live, love, laugh, learn, and lead like never before. Watch this girl have her best days before her. Watch this girl have her best kiss yet. Watch this girl whose best hug hasn’t happened yet. Watch this girl whose biggest laugh is ahead of her. Watch this girl whose most successful day is ahead of her. Watch this girl whose greatest opportunity for growth is ahead of her. Watch this girl whose best days of serving are ahead of her. Watch this girl whose most impactful days of loving are ahead of her. Watch this girl do fun things and do hard things and watch this God of hers do impossible things.Watch this girl love like crazy. Watch this girl take care of herself like she’s as important as everyone else she loves; remembering she matters too, us mamas forget all too easy to take care of ourselves. Watch this girl forgive before they blink. Watch this girl be the best mom she had promised them she’d be: promised herself she’d be. Watch this girl do good to those who aren’t for her; watch this girl still be for them, pray for them, and bless them. Watch this girl grow her blog to reach the people that need to know God loves them. Watch this girl believe! Watch this girl become the best she’s ever been.

Watch This

Grace and Peace

“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalms 16:11

“I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.” Psalms 146:2

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

“Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.” Job 8:7

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” Lamentations 3:22-24