But a new year. A fresh start. Another chance.
Wow. That's a beautiful thing. It's an embodiment of the gospel. Jesus came to give us a fresh start. He wiped our slate clean and said, let's start anew. I'll give you my righteousness to cover you.
I don't participate in New Years Resolutions because I'm not a very reliable person when it comes to changing a lot of stuff. History and research would show that a very small percentage of people can actually keep resolutions.
But what I have done each year, starting in 2012, is come up with a word that I want to aim towards during the year. Then at the end of the year, I reflect on that word and each time, ask God to show me what His word for me has actually been in the past year. Guess what? They are NEVER the same words.
I'll come up with a beautiful sounding word at the beginning of each year like "breathe"or "rest", and he'll come back at the end of the year and show me that his word for me was "identity" or "wait". My words have all been ideal things that I would like to see in myself and my life...and His words have mostly been things He wants to show me while I do nothing. Or something that is hard and goes against my flesh. Isn't that just like us? And Him? We want to do...and He's like, nope. I got this. You just let me.
This past week between Christmas and New Years, I've had a very strong conviction of my word for 2016...and it's not a pretty word. I've actually never felt so strongly about any of my beginning words as I do this one.
I can certainly spin this to sound ideal, and I'm going to try. But I think this one is going to hurt. I also look back on 2015 and feel like God has really cherished and protected me in the past year. I've been in a season of learning, resting, waiting, and absorbing Him. It's a good place to be...but at the dawn of a new year, I wonder if it was Him preparing me for something ahead.
Stewardship is a responsibility that we all have. It takes work and discipline and forethought. It can mean sacrifice, it can mean gratitude, it can mean humility.
I found some deeper meaning to the word through some of the definitions I found.
Steward...
(1) to manage or look after another's property (verb)
(2) a person whose responsibility it is to take care of something (noun)
(3) a person who manages another's property or financial affairs; a person who has charge of the household of another, buying or obtaining food, directing the servants, etc.
In 2016, I will steward (verb) everything that I can. It applies to everything from the clothes that I wear to the food I buy at the store to the eternal souls inside the little bodies of my children. It's being grateful for the air in my lungs, for the roof over my head, for the strength in my fingers to type. It's knowing that I cannot claim control over ANYTHING.
Practically, I see this initially as making choices as wisely as possible while at the same time trusting and asking that God will give me a perspective shift. Some examples of choices that I make every day/week/month: How often do I really need to update items in my wardrobe? How many items am I buying at the grocery store that are sitting unused in the pantry or being thrown out of the fridge with mold on them? How am I taking care of my physical body? Am I working to nourish and strengthen it or am I engaging in a gluttonous behavior because I enjoy splurging at the end of a long day? Am I seeking needed rest or indulging in lazy behavior, because there is a line between the two. Am I engaging my children emotionally, physically and spiritually or missing opportunities because I'm distracted? This practical list should not be seen as a list of things to fix or change. But if you change your perspective, you have to be all-encompassing. You have to reach into your actual life and clean out the dusty corners. You have to be willing to be changed.
In 2016, I will be a steward (noun) in my thoughts and my actions, changing my perspective that everything I have is not really mine. I will ask God to show me my right place. It's not about the steward. In that third definition above, I'm picturing a homeowner preparing his home for a large party. The steward just buys the food and tells the servants how to prepare the home. The steward is not the host. It's not about the steward. The steward is pointing to something greater in every task that he performs and every responsibility that he takes on.
Steward.
Steward what you have well.
Be a steward in your actions and thoughts.
Let's go 2016.
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