Ring In The New

¹¹ The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.  (Isaiah 58:11)

Today in Church the Pastor talked about prioritizing for the new year.  Whoa, I am so caught up in getting the decorations down, catching up on laundry, and getting the boys gifts put away and organized---and this is all just in the planning stages, mind you, that I have yet to do any serious reflection and vision casting for the new year.

To be honest, this year has been so full of challenges, that I just want to celebrate making it through!  And it has been even more full of miracles, blessings and rewards, that I just want to savor and let sink in deep.

But when he said that as he looked back over his year, there had been a lot of busyness, but not a lot of things that he felt he truly accomplished, he had my attention.  I used to thrive on busyness and wear it as a badge of pride.  How much I could accomplish in a day would dictate how successful I felt.  Now, however, as a mom, I have come to believe that God is showing me some of the most important stuff I am accomplishing is still laying beneath the soil.  Seeds ready to spring to life at His perfect time.  I can only trust Him and walk in faithfulness knowing that if I make Him my priority, then the details will fall into line.

That is hard for me.  A lot of my prayers contain phrases like, "Am I hearing your right?  Is this really what You want me to do?  Am I going the wrong way with this?"  That is an aweful lot of "I" right there.  How about, "He will not let your foot slip-He who watches over you will  not slumber..."  (Psalm 121:3)  If I ask Him which way is the right way to go, whether to the right or the left, then I need to trust that He is able to get it through to me.

Thank you Pastor for the reminder.  I really needed to get my priorities in line.  I needed the reminder about busyness as "sign up for stuff season begins".  I needed to think about what has lasting value.

I needed a verse for this year.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."  (Matthew 6:33)