Yes. The Johnsons are still alive.
It goes without saying that I have not felt much inspiration to write, recently. To be more specific, I have not been inspired to blog. This is partially due to experiencing memories instead of writing about them. In part, a result of all my "writing time" being spent filling up journals as I sort my thoughts.
To be sure, I have had plenty of those. As the New Year rolled around, I watched blogposts pop up right and left, detailing inspirational goals and strategies for this fresh new season in our lives. I tried to write my own, yet I just couldn't find the right words.
As I looked back on December, November, then this whole past year, thoughts swirled through my head like a churning, Midwestern snowstorm. Still caught up in the flurry of 2013's ups and downs, mountain-top experiences and dark valleys, I could barely see clearly to make decisions in this bright, clean New Year. So, I set blogging aside and wrote in a more private fashion.
While I processed and examined life in general, I read through this blog and was so encouraged by God's faithfulness. I am still quite unsure about what this year holds, but I now have the clarity I so desperately wanted at the beginning of this year. God is in control and I cannot wait to see what He has in store for me!
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Sometimes a New Year can be kind of daunting, you know? Like a fresh sheet of paper, void of words, just waiting for thoughts to overflow into inky characters. Sometimes we cling to what we know, where we are comfortable. In an effort to not "mess up" we never take those first steps.
But this year, like many of you, I am challenged to break the ice in some fresh ways.
As the oldest child, ice breaking has not been optional. I am an ice breaking machine. And often, anytime I am breaking the ice for ten cheerful followers, my parents are breaking the ice alongside me. It's been a position that I wouldn't trade for the world but, as can be expected, there have been a few frigid moments.
All that to say, I don't just want to break any old ice, I want to be purposeful about what I am putting my hand to do. 2013 flew by. 2014 will be gone before I know it. What do I really want when this year is done?
Obviously school is a priority. It's time I finally put my hand to the wheel and finish what I started. But, life is more than a degree. I want more than a sheet of paper at the end of 2014. Why do I want my degree anyways?
Working out, stretching, eating right, these are all good goals. But why? So I can pull out the splits at some opportune time, or know that I have a six-pack?
Finding creative ways to make money. Well, that's a necessity…if I want a car. Why do I want a car?
Why am I doing what I'm doing? Why am I pursuing these goals? Why am I spending this year's precious moments in these particular ways?
Eventually, the Lord opened my eyes to why each of these things are important. Not because I need to feel smart, or look good, or have a fat wallet. It is because each one of these areas provides me with a key.
Invaluable keys.
Keys to open the only two doors I really care to open. Keys to the only things that really matter in this world.
Experiences and Relationships.
At the end of this year, the only things I will hold in my hand and heart are the experiences I have had, and the people I love. That's why I do the things I do. So I can expand my horizons, and have unique memories with the ones who color my world.
How simple is that?
However, it's a tougher goal than it sounds. So often I can get hopelessly caught up in groping for a key, that I miss the doors of opportunity already opened to me. I can't go on a bike ride with the kiddos because I am working out. Are you kidding me? That's why I need to stay in shape. I can't help the girls with math because I am busy studying to be a teacher. Really?
This year, I challenge you. Slow down. Take time to revel in those sweet moments and treasure those fading sunsets. Don't forget why we do the things we do, or what really matters in life. Because, after all, we never know how long these moments will last.
Obviously school is a priority. It's time I finally put my hand to the wheel and finish what I started. But, life is more than a degree. I want more than a sheet of paper at the end of 2014. Why do I want my degree anyways?
Working out, stretching, eating right, these are all good goals. But why? So I can pull out the splits at some opportune time, or know that I have a six-pack?
Finding creative ways to make money. Well, that's a necessity…if I want a car. Why do I want a car?
Why am I doing what I'm doing? Why am I pursuing these goals? Why am I spending this year's precious moments in these particular ways?
Eventually, the Lord opened my eyes to why each of these things are important. Not because I need to feel smart, or look good, or have a fat wallet. It is because each one of these areas provides me with a key.
Invaluable keys.
Keys to open the only two doors I really care to open. Keys to the only things that really matter in this world.
Experiences and Relationships.
At the end of this year, the only things I will hold in my hand and heart are the experiences I have had, and the people I love. That's why I do the things I do. So I can expand my horizons, and have unique memories with the ones who color my world.
How simple is that?
However, it's a tougher goal than it sounds. So often I can get hopelessly caught up in groping for a key, that I miss the doors of opportunity already opened to me. I can't go on a bike ride with the kiddos because I am working out. Are you kidding me? That's why I need to stay in shape. I can't help the girls with math because I am busy studying to be a teacher. Really?
This year, I challenge you. Slow down. Take time to revel in those sweet moments and treasure those fading sunsets. Don't forget why we do the things we do, or what really matters in life. Because, after all, we never know how long these moments will last.
