Embarking on My Journey of Peace
A few weeks ago I began to contemplate what my guiding word for the new year was going to be. If you aren’t sure what that means you can read all about how I started doing this in 2018 here. After much prayerful consideration I decided that the word I felt led to focus on was PEACE.
In 2018 my word was BELIEVE. At that time I was struggling to trust the good plans that God has for my life because In 2017 my whole life was turned upside down with some devastating news. That news set in motion huge changes that brought about the most stress, and most uncertain times of my life to date. To BELIEVE was to have faith in the things I couldn’t see but it was also really about believing for the GOOD. I needed to believe that despite the turmoil happening every day in my life that the plan for my life was for my good and not to destroy me like it felt.
Incredibly, by April I started to see a major shift in the circumstances in my life and by November of this year I realized that the crisis I was living in when 2018 began had been minimized to an almost manageable level and that my life looked very different than it had when the year began.
Simply amazing!
Right on cue, I started getting the stirrings in my heart of the winds of change again. I began to struggle with discontent and frustration. To say that fighting the good fight, believing against all odds, and holding on to faith like your life depends on it is exhausting just doesn’t seem to describe the depths of burnout I was feeling. I was beyond myself. I was snippy and short tempered at work. I had no patience at home and every little thing that was happening in my life felt like a crisis. At every turn I was throwing in the towel and ready to call it quits on all fronts. I was BEAT.
I started to hear myself grumbling and complaining A LOT. I was critical and judgmental and it was becoming clear to me that it was more than me just being tired. I was becoming bitter.
So I opened my heart and started to listen for promptings. What was it I was supposed to learn in 2019? Where did I need to grow? Where did I need relief? And little by little the message came and the word was PEACE.
This definition of PEACE to me means that I am at rest. I am unshaken when things go awry, I am unattached to outcomes because of what I discovered when I learned how to BELIEVE. I know the plan is good now, so I can rest and be at PEACE even when nothing is going to plan. I will be learning how to have faith like my life depends on it WITHOUT the desperation I had felt before. I can trust the process and not be in the throes of despair while it is being worked out and I suspect I will be a lot less exhausted as it all unfolds.
I’m actually quite excited to see how things move because I’ve learned that when I surrender to the lessons that are placed before me I end up on much higher ground. Breaking chains isn’t easy, but it is DEFINITELY WORTH IT on the other side.
I love hearing what my friends are working on and if you choose a guiding word for 2019 I would really like to know what it is and why. I would also really like to journey alongside you while you walk it out because watching my friends grow is always hugely inspiring for me! Comment below and share your word and keep coming back to share the journey with us!
PEACE and blessings,