It's been a recurring tradition to spend New Year's Eve together, as a family, with friends. Board games, food, the warmth of the fire, and lots of fun (and high noise levels). As if we didn't get that enough.
But for me, I prefer to spend the evening before a new stage just as I would any other.
I guess that's why I have never been one for resolutions.
It has been, however, a sweet time to seek the Lord as a family, and ask him what he wants from us. This should be a daily thing, yes, but there's something about the expectant nature of our tradition that really allows me to define the year's purpose.
Our church prints out verses that we randomly pick (as a family or individually) on the first Sunday of the year. While we try and not hold that verse as a fortune teller, it certainly is nice to hold on to something specific and study further, as a unit, as a body. And apply it!
This year, we pulled Romans 8:38-39
New Life Version (mostly because I like all the explanation points!!!)
"For I know that nothing can keep us from the love of God. Death cannot! Life cannot! Angels cannot! Leaders cannot! Any other power cannot! Hard things now or in the future cannot! The world above or the world below cannot! Any other living thing cannot keep us away from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord."
We both looked at each other, like, "Here we go!".
We are ready. Something about stretching that is exciting, knowing that means God is going to use us. Purpose.
He started whispering in November to me in subtle and not-so-subtle ways of what he wanted me to focus on for 2015. Certainly for myself, mostly for myself, but also for our family as a whole.
Maybe that's why the whispers started a few months ago, as an opportunity to assess my initial reaction towards circumstances, topics, conversations, actions. It's not pretty. So, this year, we are focusing as a whole on speaking life. Working through critical feelings, acknowledging them as critical, and stopping them before they leave our lips. Life.
I am excited to work as a body on this. We all struggle with it in one way or another.
I am writing this as a hope to look back and say, "Oh, I remember when we really focused on working hard on that, my, I am glad we did!" (See that, positive thinking, ;))
This season that we are in, we see it as so crucial to our children's minds and spirits, yet equally as important to our own personal growth. Here's to stretching and growing this year friends!
And to speaking life!