There’s nothing like decking the Christmas tree in baubles
and lights for bringing home the reality that another year is nearly at an end.
Heard any of these lines lately? - or maybe you’ve uttered them yourself:
“Where on earth has this year gone?”
“The years seem to be speeding up the older I get.”
“It seems like only yesterday we were launching into the new
year. The time has just vanished.”
Every year we say the same things to each other with the
same tone of surprise. It’s true – the busier we become, and the more
responsibilities life heaps onto our plate, the faster our minutes and days and
weeks and months fly past. Before we know it, another year is gone.
The bad
news? We won’t ever get it back.
The good news? There’s a brand new one waiting right around
the corner. J
We can’t change what’s been. We CAN, however, learn from the
year that was. As writers, we’re good at critiquing our own work and that of
others. But how many of us take the time to critique our lives?
They say the definition of insanity is doing things the way
you’ve always done them and expecting a different result. A lot of us live our
lives this way. We have an idea of what we’d like to achieve in life; what we
want our lives to look like. But that’s all it ever is. An idea. Intangible.
Unreachable. Somewhere, simmering down deep in our spirit, is the knowledge of
our full potential. But as the years roll past, we learn to settle for mere
survival. Our grip loosens on our dreams. Our vision clouds. It happens so
slowly that often we don’t even realise it’s occurred.
That’s why it’s so important, every now and then, to pause.
Take some time out from the seasonal madness; the relentless
demands of life, and think back on the year that was.
What did
you do to move yourself in the direction of your dreams?
What
steps did you take to serve others with the gifts God has given you?
Did you
grow in spiritual depth and character, inching closer day by day to being the
person you know God wants you to be?
The destination is not the important part here. Life is a
journey. We’re never going to “arrive”. But have a look at where you’re
standing compared to where you struck out from at the start of the year. And
ask yourself:
Do you
see progress – however small?
Are you
moving forward, or are you walking in circles, doing the same old things and
getting the same results?
Do you
feel you’re on the right path with your life – or does it seem to you that in
certain areas, you’ve lost your way?
These questions are not about condemnation or pointing out
your shortcomings. We serve a God of grace. And the fact is that we all go
through different seasons in our lives. Perhaps this year you’ve begun a new
job, experienced ill-health, or cared for an elderly parent. For me, the year
has been full to the brim with messy, exhausting, wonderful life. I’ve given birth to a precious daughter and parented
three preschool-age children. I’ve survived sleep-deprivation, tantrums,
potty-training, a teaching contract, curriculum development, home improvements
and a new blogging schedule. Writing has taken a backseat this year.
And that’s okay.
Nothing is wasted in God’s economy. It’s easy for me to look
back at this bewildering blur of a year and measure it merely in terms of what
I did or didn’t do. To feel like a failure because of all the ways I didn’t measure up; the goals I didn’t achieve.
But I’m sensing that God wants more from us than an annual
checklist of achievements. As always, he’s after our hearts.
And if our hearts are turned toward him, if we’re willing to
let him use us, then he will, no matter what season we find ourselves in. The
journey might be slow and incremental, but the important thing is that we’re
moving forward. Making progress.
Maybe you feel like you haven’t made any progress this year
in the areas that are important to you. The days and months have slipped past
and you’re still right where you started. In that case, perhaps it’s time to
lift your gaze and refresh your vision. God never condemns us, but he does
challenge us to grow and change.
As the curtain falls on another year, I’m taking stock. How
could I better use my time? How can I more effectively live out the adventure
of the everyday as a wife, a mother, a writer, a daughter of destiny? How can I
grow into my calling?
Lord, what do you want from us in 2013?
As you evaluate the year that was, what do you feel
God impressing on your heart?
Images courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
Karen Schravemade lives in the land of Oz and likes to confuse her American friends by using weird Australian figures of speech. When she's not chasing after two small boys or cuddling her baby girl, she spends her spare minutes daydreaming about the intricate lives of characters who don't actually exist. Find her on her website, on Twitter or getting creative over at her mummy blog.
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