Everything

Around this time of year, it's pretty common to hear people talk about their New Year's resolutions.  What they are, how they've already fallen short but are trying again, how long they think the resolutions will actually last, etc.  And then there's the group of people who boycott New Year's resolutions because of how they rarely make it past the one month mark.  I guess you could say I'm half-boycotter and half-resolutionist (sure, that can be a word).  Instead of choosing a goal like "exercise five times a week" or "wake up at 6:30 every morning," I choose a word to focus on for the year.  For example, the first year I did this I chose "humility" with the intent of growing in that virtue.  This year, my word is "everything."

I know, it's an odd choice that sounds extremely vague.  The idea came to me while reading and reflecting on an Advent devotional centered on Mary.  While the devotional definitely emphasized that word in the sense of surrender to God, I felt like that was only a piece of what I am being called to embrace for 2019. Not because I think I don't have anything to work at in that realm, but because I have been working at that for years now.  There are more ways for me to grow that are centered on this word.  "Everything" also refers to recognizing God's presence in every moment and all of His creation.  To giving thanks to Him in everything.  To remembering that everything my heart could ever long for is found in Him.


The pursuit of orienting everything toward God leads to the question, "what currently is your everything?"  If the answer was already God, then talking about a pursuit would be nonsense.  So the challenge I am undertaking this month, and also invite you to, is to answer that question.  To do that, I'll have to be brutally honest with myself as I reflect on questions like:
  • What is it that takes up most of my thoughts? Why?
  • What do I treat as my primary identity?  Why?  How does it manifest?
  • When I am building my schedule, what takes precedence?  Why?
  • When things get stressful and hectic, what do I find myself clinging to?  Why?
  • What is the core "why" behind what I do - mundane or otherwise?
The amount of explanation needed to fully answer these questions will also be needed to fully define what I want those answers to become.  That way the existing gap can be assessed and tools can be gathered to build the bridge from where I am to where I want to be.  

I wish you all success with your resolutions.  Whether you take up my challenge or not, I hope it has given you some food for thought or a new way to approach what you are working toward.  Happy 2019!


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