As we, with no other choice about it, as we walk into the new year, I’m asking you to join me in a whole new way of life. I am talking about lasting and real remaking of our lives from the inside out. I am begging you to make a declaration for yourself, the parts of you no on can see. The parts of you that matter, that are happiness and joy. Satisfied and connected. The parts that are humble and graceful and redeemed.
Declare out loud, on paper, or both, whose you are, and what His plans are for you.
What are those plans?
I only truly know of one great plan for us all, and that is a plan of HAPPINESS.
Everything else falls into some version of that one and great plan.
Speak of the TRUTH about yourself.
You are LOVED.
You have this one and only living and breathing life.
You are FREE to live it, and find happiness in it.
And then.
Take a sledgehammer to every single thing that steals you of that freedom to find happiness. Every single little and big thing that steals your ability to feel loved and wonderfully made. Every thing that tells you lies that you believe about who you are and what God has planned for you. Every ounce of shame and guilt and ick about how you look or what your house looks like or what your family looks like. About your marriage or financial situation. EVERY moment that sneaks in and robs you of your true and divine purpose on this planet-
GET RID OF IT.
No lists and lists of new year resolutions.
No guilt.
No shame.
No stomach in knots every morning when you wake up because you’re not good enough.
Just one overall declaration that you wrap your whole life around.
What is your declaration?
What are the physical, spiritual, and emotional ACTIONS you’re going to make to allow that declaration to come to life.
Breathe life into it by DOING.
Moving.
Being.
Remaking this new way of life from your insides out.
Wanna know my declaration?
To fearlessly and endlessly be authentic in my outreach to YOU. To encourage and link arms with YOU to have the Scriptures in your hands, every single day. Inspired Word of God more than a phone. More than endless constantly updating feeds of fluff, and together take a sledgehammer to all that fluff. And fill those places with love. And living in the PRESENT with our people. To come to our Savior with open palms to FIND all his purposes and plans and answers and connection and happiness, no matter what.
In 2018, I am going to stand my ground.
Will you stand here with me?
On this hallowed and sacred ground of hope and love and acceptance and grace and deliverance. Of happiness and diligently seeking for living waters. Of standing FIRM in our faith and even through the stumbling and falling and uphill mountain climbs that WILL come our way. We will weather every single storm with the Word of God in our hands, on our knees in prayer, and never ever abandoning the God who loves us endlessly.
It won’t be easy.
It won’t be our first reaction or response.
It won’t be convenient.
It won’t be popular.
It won’t always be instantly gratifying.
But it will be freedom.
And happiness.
And love.
And gratitude, satisfaction, and humility.
It will be faith and growing and stretching our hands towards God.
It will be seeking things that we truly NEED, and letting everything else come after.
It will be quiet.
And still.
Maybe uncomfortable, but peaceful too.
It will be moments with PEOPLE that know us and need us.
It will be more patience and kindness and less comparing and guilt.
It will be shelter.
And war.
We can do it.
Declare it.
And put your trust and faith and whole self in His hands.
2018.
We welcome you with open arms.
Because we know in whom we trust.
And he isn’t on Instagram or Facebook.
He isn’t selling something or click baiting us into a web portal of lost minutes and hours.
He is ours. And we are His. His plans are for us. His ways are higher than ours. He will not abandon us. He will never give up on us.
We will not give up on Him.
DECLARE IT.
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