Happy New Year. Happy New Start. Happy Clean Slate!
As I think about last year and how I can learn from it as I move into a New Year, I have found 5 perspectives I want to adopt to keep me growing in the way that pleases God.
1. Be grateful for the small things.
Nothing shapes an attitude better than gratitude. No matter what is complicated or unwanted in life, I want to look for the small things that consistently help, bring hope, and share beauty. When I am grateful for small things, I can be trusted with more..
2. Own bad attitudes and skewed perspectives without blaming.
Blaming is an attempt to excuse yourself from responsibility when something goes wrong. I don't have to do anything if it isn't my fault. This is not about ignoring hurt or pretending it doesn't matter. This is about the part I can take responsibility for in order to move toward closure or healing. Whether I need to voice an apology to another person or just to God, I take responsibility for an attitude or ignorance that adds unnecessary angst.
3. Turn off the negative voice in your head.
My biggest problem is not what people say about me or do to me; it is what I say and do to myself. This is not a call to be overly or artificially optimistic. This is a call to listen first to the gentle, affirming voice of my Maker, the One who knows me by hair strand and cell structure. He’s the authority on me and I have to keep remembering that.
4. Take time for beauty and creativity.
This is an absolute must. It can mean a 3-minute gaze out the window or a 5-minute walk around the block. I look for God’s beauty and creativity and remember that He wants my life to reflect the same traits. If God can make a brainless flower live through storms, what could He do with me if I live awake and ready to receive it?
5. Accept that God knows where you are and where you need to go.
This one has caught me more than once in the past few years. I have worked toward publishing that never happened, relationships that never grew, and prayed prayers that didn’t seem to go anywhere. When I remember Who God is and how His plan spans time, circumstances, and expectations, I can wait with wonder instead of dread. I don't waste time with worry or negativity. It isn’t easy, but it’s worth the work!
I’m entering this New Year hoping that God’s truth about me will always be more important than my perceptions. I want attitudes that help me listen better and more quickly to God to protect me from unnecessary detours. That’s why I’m pinning these 5 strategies to my ribbon board, where I will see them daily. It’s my way of asking God to remind me that this is how I want to live in 2025 and beyond.
Will you join me?
Reviewing 2024
For the next few posts, I will share some highlights of the year. This week, I'm sharing the 4 most-read blogs and my 5 favorite books from my reading this year.
Most Read Blogs
Here are the 4 most read blogs from 2024:
Starting with Ashes 2-14-24 https://www.debbiegoodwin.net/post/starting-with-ashes
Lord Help Me See 1-31-24 https://www.debbiegoodwin.net/post/lord-help-me-see
From Deserter to Devoted 9-1-24 https://www.debbiegoodwin.net/post/from-deserter-to-devoted
Thanking God IN not FOR 11-13-24 https://www.debbiegoodwin.net/post/thanking-god-in-not-just-for
My Favorite Reads from 2024
I made a goal to read 30 books this year. I read 34! These are my stand-outs for different reasons.
Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy
This delightful story is based loosely on the writer’s experience with a mouse the family “adopted.”
The Women by Kristin Hannah
This book startled me with the story of how I lived during this time without knowing what happened to the nurses in the Vietnam War.
The Secret War of Julia Child by Diana R. Chambers
This little-known story surprised me and gave me a new appreciation for Julia Child.
The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
This story recounts the unlikely friendship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary Bethune, an African American leader at the beginning of the civil rights. movement.
The Berlin Apartment by Bryn Turnbull
This haunting story is about what happened when the Berlin Wall went up and separated a couple planning to marry and the way it changed each life in irretrievable ways.
What were your favorite reads of the year?