Well, it’s already February. How are those resolutions coming for everyone? This year I didn’t really make any resolutions but I have been dreaming big dreams and setting goals for myself.
Every year I try to pick a word and key verse as I sense a theme that the Lord puts on my heart. Last year my word was wonder and I watched with hopeful anticipation as God worked so faithfully in my life, in our family, and in our church. Looking back on 2019, I can see the hand of God in so many areas and I’m grateful that I was able to look up in wonder as He diligently moved mountains around me. I don’t ever want to be so self-focused that I don’t notice where He’s working.
I usually begin praying about my word of the year in December, but this year has been a little crazy. With the addition of a toddler in the house, my free time is limited. Also, all three of my girls were sick for much of December so I spent many early mornings and late nights cuddling and comforting them.
The Lord, in His infinite wisdom, knew I would not have much time to think and pray through my word and scripture for the year on my own. I know this, because I just “happened” to stumble across a podcast (which I mentioned in my favorite things list for January). The host, Becky Kiser, is a life coach, Bible teacher, and author, and on this podcast, she asked us to think about our dreams and goals for the future. Then she taught us how to break those dreams and goals down into bite-size chunks that would be easily attainable. After we completed these tasks, she instructed us to come up with a word that encompasses these dreams.
For me, this was a new way of finding my word of the year. As I mentioned before, I usually have lots of time to sit and pray and listen to where God is leading me. But this year I haven’t had much time to reflect on those things. So the Lord made it easy for me by leading me to this podcast, and I was reminded once again just how kind He is to give us moms grace in our busy seasons.
After working through my dreams and goals, I came up with my word for 2020. That word is cultivate.
Cultivate may seem like a weird word, right? Generally, when I think of the word cultivate, I think of a garden or of growing things. But as I reflected on my goals and dreams, cultivate was the word that kept coming to the forefront of my mind. Another definition that I found was, “try to acquire or develop (a quality, sentiment, or skill).” So here are the things I want to cultivate in 2020:
I want to cultivate deeper friendships. I’ve lived here for almost three years and still I feel disconnected from friends. Especially now that I’m at home with Jillienne and get no adult interaction whatsoever. I want to grow deeper in my friendships this year. I want to develop friendships with intentionality, whether it’s by hosting BIble studies in our home, meeting friends for coffee, or grabbing lunch with someone I want to know better. As an introvert and an Enneagram 9, this is really hard for me, but I know it’s something I truly need to do.
I want to cultivate a healthier lifestyle. Having a toddler that won’t leave your side puts a damper on your exercise plans. And I’m not complaining, because I know she needs me right now and she needs to know that I won’t leave her. But in reality, I’m feeling very unhealthy. I need to eat better and exercise more. The same goal for 90% of people in January, right? Ha!
And finally I want to cultivate my writing. My blog went down in July and I’ve just now gotten it up and going again. I love to write, it’s my outlet to process my thoughts and feelings, so not being able to blog these past few months has been difficult for me. But not only do I want to blog on a weekly basis, I also want to write our adoption stories down for others to read. So one of my long-term goals is to do just that!
As I thought about cultivating all these things, I was drawn to this verse:
“The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by.” Ezekiel 36:34 (NASB)
I don’t want 2020 to be a wasteland of missed opportunites and unmet dreams. I want to dream big and follow where the Lord leads so that others around me will see God’s power. I want Him to rebuild the “ruined places” and plant me where He chooses.
What about you? What are your big dreams for 2020? I would love to hear from you!
(Credit for header photo: Three Chicks Pics)
Oh, Adrienne, I loved this post on so many levels. I hope your girls are on the mend. Personally, cultivate is an amazing word, in my opinion. It sounds like God has given you big dreams.
I don’t read about a lot of people sharing their dreams, and I’m realizing as I get older, that it’s a good thing to have dreams.
We are adoptive parents too. May the Lord give you that time to write your stories this year! My dream is publication. I’ve been working at it for many years. The funny thing is, God has met me on this journey, and I’ve grown in my relationship with Him in ways I never could have had I not first stepped on the writing path.
Writing is such an outlet for me and it allows me to see what God is doing in my life. Praying for you on your publication journey!
It is amazing how God leads each of us to a word and His Word for a new year. Being a wife, and now a Mimi, I so agree – life can be exhausting. But there is no greater reward than knowing we have poured ourselves into the lives of those He places in our life. My word this year is “Savor” as I want to slow down and enjoy Him, allowing Him to affect my life so my life is a display of Christ to those around me. I think this is my first time here. May God bless you as you begin writing again. Thank you for encouraging me this morning as I needed to read the verse from Ezekiel. 🙂
“Savor” is a great word! I pray you will be able to slow down this year and sit with Christ as He leads you.
I love your word. It reminds me of watering something and tending it so that fruits can come forth. Like cultivating our talents. I grew up not dreaming, and now I to am seeing the blessing of having dreams. I didn’t listen to the same podcast, but God has been giving me dreams (my word is create) and I recently was in a class about planning and breaking our dreams into bite sized chunks we can accomplish. Oh so good. May God bless your endeavors this year as you cultivate friends, a healthier lifestyle, and your writing projects. Thee is always room at the table for more voices and friends.
Thank you for the encouraging words. Yes, it is important to break our dreams down into smaller pieces so we can see progress. Blessings to you!