I was going to devote an entire blog post to reflecting on 2016 but that never happened. Christmas time was full and sweet and filled with all the things that make the holiday season so special. After Christmas I got to spend some time in Colorado with the family that I nanny for, which was fun and tiring and we all came down with the nasty stomach virus, which made for a very long drive home. I rang in the new year in bed, too sick to function. But, it’s a trip I will never forget and we made some great memories. For that I am so thankful. Then I blinked and all of a sudden here we are in February, MORE THAN HALFWAY THROUGH THE MONTH.

People always say “Time goes faster the older you get!”, and that scares me a little bit. I already can’t keep up with it!

So instead I will share about some goals I’ve made for 2017. This year, I think something the Lord is wanting me to grow in is being intentional with my time. What am I doing? What am I accomplishing? How am I spending my time? Is it glorifying God? Am I seeking Him wholeheartedly?

When I was in CGA (Center for Global Action) last year in Gainesville, Georgia, one of the things we spent a lot of time talking about was goal setting. We had to come up with a certain number of goals and make a little chart to keep track of our goals and how often we actually did the thing. I hated it.  It felt forced and something that I had to do, which of course made me not want to do it at all.

Being home these months after being fully immersed in the Adventures community I was in for nearly two years, I found myself a little lost. I missed it and I longed to have it again. I had such a hard time connecting with the Lord in the way that I did while I was on the World Race and in CGA. However, it is so cool to see how the things I learned during that time have prepared me for this season that I’m in now, and the one I am preparing to walk into in upcoming months.

Though I didn’t enjoy it at the time, I’m glad we spent so much time talking about goals because I’m seeing now how important they really are. Being on the World Race and doing CGA, there was always time carved out for things like community, worship, classes, ministry, and a solid community of people who held me accountable, asked the hard questions, and was available every minute of every day. I was always learning, always being challenged, always growing, and it was easier to connect with the Lord. I’m not saying it was always easy peasy, it definitely had to be chosen and fought for, but it was just different than it is now.

Now I’m home and my community is spread out all over the place, and my hometown isn’t exactly booming with twenty somethings who are not married and have families. It’s easy to feel alone and far away, but oh my goodness, the Lord has been so good and faithful and I have found myself speechless more often than not in how He has shown up here, and how He is constantly doing the smallest of things to pursue me and woo me in the biggest of ways. But I have found now more than ever, I have to fight for my time. I have to fight for my relationship with the Lord. I have to fight for community. I can have the same rich, fulfilling life that I’ve had the last two years, but it doesn’t just happen.

Here is the thing – God is the same here in small town Kansas, USA as he was in Georgia and Guatemala, Zambia and the Philippines. It’s learning to make him my life no matter where I am and what I am doing, whether I’m a missionary in Guatemala or a nanny in Kansas. So with that being said, I’m figuring it out. I’m learning and growing. It just looks different in different seasons of life, and rather than comparing this season that I’m in now to the season I just came from, it’s learning to find the awesomeness that is in the now. Because He is just as good today as He was last year, and five years ago. 

With all of that being said, I wanted to share with you some goals that I have made for myself this year. I’m a month behind, naturally. Some of these I did last month and some have been added and I am starting this month.

Read more.

Read one book every month. One month in and I’m doing great – I’ve read not one, but two books. Kind of. I read one book (For the Love by Jen Hatmaker), and I finished another book (The Shack by William P. Young) that I may or may not have started reading back in November or December, hence the reason why “read more” is on the list! I am currently reading “7” by Jen Hatmaker. I guess I’m on a Jen Hatmaker kick?!

Send snail mail.

I love getting mail. When someone takes the time to send me something in the mail, I feel extremely loved. I happen to know that I’m not the only one who likes to find something in their mailbox other than bills and credit card offers. I often have the thought of sending mail to people, but the follow through is always lacking. So instead of it just being something I think about, I want to actually do it. My goal is to stick (at least) two envelopes in the mail each month. (The envelopes will not be empty! 🙂 )

Write.

Write write write write. It helps me process and think out my thoughts and be in touch with all the feelings. I really hate to admit this, but I cannot tell you how many times I will sit down to journal, and I immediately close my journal and lay down the pen because my mind and heart are going there, and sometimes it’s just easier to not.

I don’t want to go there.

I don’t want to feel the feels. 

I don’t want to have to do this or that.

It’s like I’m shutting the door in God’s face, saying “Nope, not today! Maybe tomorrow.”  THIS IS NOT HEALTHY.

Face the silence.

Writing and facing the silence go hand in hand. In a way, this is a solution to what I just shared with you, but I also wanted to make it its own separate goal. I hate the silence. I’m an introvert, so I recharge by having alone time. But even then I am filling the space with noise, literally and figuratively. My goal is to make it a point twice a week to sit in silence with the Lord for 20 minutes. This might seem insignificant to you, but it’s making me cringe a little bit just typing this. Yikes. Afterwards, I will write in my journal about it.

Learn to cook.

This is just for fun. I actually decided to make it a goal just now as I was writing this blog. I’ve never had a reason to cook before. In college I ate on campus most days, fast food, or cooked some frozen chicken nuggets. Some days I’d get real fancy and make some shells and cheese! (The amount of carbs I used to eat baffles me.) On the Race I was lucky enough to be on a team with people who can cook phenomenal, fancy, delicious feasts. We may have been in Africa but we were eating GOOOOD. (Shout out to you, Andy!) In Asia, food was cheap, even on our $5 a day budget, so we lived off of street food. It was glorious. Currently, I live with my parents so I just eat all of their food! (Thanks mom and dad!)

While I am hoping my husband will like to cook, I figure I should do my part and learn to cook. It seems like a good life skill to have! Right now it’s not enjoyable to me, maybe it’s because I don’t know what I’m doing or I’m just lazy, but maybe it will become something I enjoy?! Here’s to hoping! I’ll keep you posted.

I am committing to cook twice a month. Again, that may not seem very significant, but let’s be real, if I say “I’ll cook once a week”, I know myself and that’s not gonna happen. I’d be setting myself up for failure. So we will start with a more realistic goal of twice a month and see what happens!

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I know it’s February 18, but if you haven’t made a list of goals for this year, go for it! Is there something you want to learn to do? Grow in? Become more disciplined in? Are you filling your time with the things you love and are passionate about? Is it glorifying the Lord? Is it filling you up? Are you doing what makes you come alive? Maybe you do have some goals for this year, what are they? I’d love to hear them!