by Brittney Chan
“Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.”
Proverbs 4:26
Here we are wrapping up the second full week of the first month of a new year. Let’s be honest with each other, okay? How are your resolutions doing? Are they still thriving or…barely surviving?
Some of you may still be securely seated on the bandwagon of Change with no intention of jumping off. And if so, I whole-heartedly commend you! But…if you’re anything like me, you may already be wondering if you’ve piled your plate too high.
It’s typically right after Christmas when I start gathering my thoughts concerning the goals I want to crush in the next year. And this past season was no different.
I started off great. I researched and found an age-appropriate curriculum for my kiddos in Children’s Church, because I want to be an intentional teacher. I designated a notebook to journal my observations as I read through the Bible, because I want to focus on the Dos and Don'ts of Practical Christian Living. I took advantage of a local gym’s membership sale, because I want to consistently engage in a healthier lifestyle. I found a guy that fixes musical instruments and had him service a saxophone I bought, because I want to challenge my mind and develop a new talent.
In the middle of mapping out the areas of my life to work on in the next twelve months, I must have forgotten that I am already busy. For the past two weeks, it has seemed like I have a running to-do list and things are being added twice as fast as they’re being checked off! Sounds like all the elements needed for the perfect storm of mental exhaustion, right?
I dread feeling like I’m being drugged along in life, but sometimes, that’s exactly how it can seem. I took these overwhelming emotions to God the other day. My prayer sounded something like this:
“When I feel stressed and like I need to reconfigure my priorities, help me to keep You at the forefront of my life. I don't want my dedication to You to waver. If all my other dreams fall by the wayside, let my heart be steadfast in You.”
The mantra of CT Studd’s famous lines has been rolling over in my head: “Only one life, ’twill soon be past / Only what’s done for Christ will last” and it is refreshing my focus. I want to encourage you, so that if you find yourself where I’ve been, you won’t give up. The feelings of being overwhelmed, stressed or anxious will pass. But you stay busy for God. Dream big for Him. Start that new ministry. Create that Bible Study Group. Write that new book. Organize that community outreach. Maybe your goal is to simply indulge in His Word. Then let it saturate your life and push you to fall further in love with Him. Whatever you have resolved to do this year, let’s all be on the same path: Furthering the kingdom of God and linking arm in arm with others to make it to Heaven.
