Last January I did a post on New Year's resolutions and how it seemed so much simpler to choose just one word to focus on for the year than it was a list of things I wanted to accomplish. Last year that word for me was "action". (See last year's blog post here) As the first of this year came around I pondered how effectively I had pursued taking action in 2016. As I reflected I found that I started off strong at the beginning of the year, but a little less than halfway through the year, with life's twist, turns, struggles, and events, action became less of the word that was defining my year and I was continually slipping into survival mode. I have spent most of this month pondering how I should approach 2017 and what word would set the tone for me this year. I wasn't pleased with how my one word resolution for last year turned out and thought perhaps I should use 2017 as a do-over on my "action" resolution from last year. But what I realized was that it wasn't that I was failing to take action on things last year, it wasn't that I was being lazy, or lacked desire; the problem with last year was that I had failed to quickly overcome the stumbling blocks that appeared in my path. I failed to overcome words spoken to me that caused me to doubt my direction and calling in life, or events that happened that were contrary to the vision I had for my life. I let these things devastate me and stop me in my tracks at times. I took the words of people to heart because they came from people I loved and respected, when I should have held tight to God's Word and the words He had spoken to me. I let events make me question if I was on the right path or if I had missed it and gotten off course. Yes, I would eventually get up again and begin moving forward, but often it wasn't for days or even months. My vision became cloudy as self-doubt crept in. I questioned how I could move forward when I could no longer clearly see where I was going. So there it was, it was not lack of action that caused the prior year to be less productive and fruitful than I had hoped, it was my inability to quickly overcome the stumbling blocks placed in my path and hold fast to God's truth. So my word for 2017 is "overcome". John 16:33 tells us, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." So because Jesus lives in me that means that I have overcome and will continue to overcome. I just need to focus on the truth of God's word and let it take root deep in my soul. May I be of good cheer through tribulation because I know without a doubt that I will overcome, and that in Jesus I have peace no matter what I am facing. I am an overcomer - and so are you! So here is to 2017 - the year of the overcomer! Copyright 2017 Christine Edwards
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