Are you feeling 22 yet?? If not, you might be like me. Though, I am excited at the possibility of the new year, I also don't know if I have fully processed 2021. Also, seeing all of the many posts on social media recapping 2021 makes me feel like I may have missed it.
Don't get me wrong. I lived 2021 and lived in 2021. I was blessed in many ways throughout the year. I had heartbreak too, in more ways than one, but when you reminisce, aren't you supposed to look at the positive? I have thought long and hard about what I want to say as I head into 2022. Do I recap the year we are leaving behind? Do I pay tribute to the ones who helped me get through 2021 and those I’m taking into 2022? Do I only look forward and tell you of all the resolutions I am coming up with?
I don’t know how to recap this last year. It feels like a movie I watched rather than a life I lived, though I lived it and tried to live it well. I guess I felt… how do I put this? Out of control. Like everything I was grasping at didn’t stick. It was almost like when you throw a noodle at the wall that isn't fully cooked. You think it will stay glued to the wall because you're positive those noodles have been boiling for ages, but alas. Right when you think, "Awesome! Time to add the spaghetti sauce!" It separates, slowly, not all at once, slipping down to the floor. You sigh, throw the limp noodle in the garbage, and wait for what seems like an eternity for the watched pot to cook the perfect consistency pasta. That was my 2021.
I feel like I’ve done a decent job of telling the people in my life this year what they mean to me. Even the ones who came and went, those who stayed, and those who were only there for a moment. If they don’t know it yet, my gratitude for them is immense. However, almost every time, I purposely post about them on my Instagram. It is my declaration page of how much I care for those in my life. It is my cliff that I shout to the world, the angels, and all living things how I truly feel about these humans. I do it, not to brag, but to make those in my life understand how important they are to me. I love very hard, and it can be a bit much, but it comes from a deep place of care and gratitude in my heart.
To tell you the truth, I don’t have many resolutions:
Love God harder
Treat His temple better and
Remember His plan is always good.
Maybe a little fourth one: 4. Don’t rush through life.
They are pretty basic resolutions. Ones I have been working on since last year. I am not a professional at these yet, so I feel like it is fitting to keep them as my resolutions this year. I don't know how well I treated the temple today. (I had a Chick-fil-a Salad followed by two chocolate chip cookies tonight but hey... balance??)
I did get to put into practice today loving God harder and reminding myself that His plan is always good. However, that may have led to me wanting life to rush a little because my heart thinks I am so ready for so many things when those things are not in the cards for me right now. And you know what? That is good. (See. Implementing resolution #3 again!)
But God is always good. He sticks when the noodle world around us doesn't.
He is our dearest friend who never forgets to remind us how much He cares for us.
He is perfection, never needing resolutions because He has resolved to eradicate every sin, every hardship, and every hurt so that we don't have to in our own strength.
The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd. A Psalm of David.
Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I will not be in need.
2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For the sake of His name.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
6 Certainly goodness and faithfulness will follow me all the days of my life, And my dwelling will be in the house of the Lord forever.
This passage reminds me of how God sticks with us. He is our dearest friend who takes care of our hearts. He has taken our place of death, and given us a forever home with Him.
So, as January 3, 2022 closes out, I think the best thing I can do is urge you. Urge you to draw near to Christ. See Him as your friend, protector, comforter, healer, savior.
You see, there are so many people out there, grasping, reaching, and hoping something sticks. Wanting something or someone consistent in their life. It deeply pains me to think of those who do not know the weight of how deeply God loves them. His arms are open, His heart full of grace, ready to hold you, comfort you, grow you, and strengthen you so that we always have someone to hold onto.
That’s what I want people to see in me. That’s what I want 2022 to be about. I don't want to look back. I want to look, with hope, at my future He has set before me. My Savior, who loves me and you and everyone else so much that there is not a word to describe it well enough.
I can’t smile without Him. I can’t live without Him, and I don’t want you to live without Him either. He was just a baby, and He was killed for me. Sent here, to die, for you so that you could lie down in green pastures, never grow hungry, weary, or thirsty, and live abundantly in Him forever.
It’s 2022, and want David wrote in Psalm 23 it’s still true. I love you, but God loves you more than I could ever attempt.
Happy New Year!
Thank you, Jesus, for another year to worship, praise, and shout Your name. Heal those who are broken. Hold tight to us tonight and each night of 2022. Draw us close to You. Thank you for this hope. Thank You for never leaving or forsaking us. Thank You for the green pasture to lie down in. Thank You for your care and comfort. Never let us forget. Equip those reading right now to proclaim your name this year. Spreading Your beauty to the ends of the earth, which may be our living rooms or the South Pole. You only know who needs to hear Your love and see Your peace in their lives. We all need it, but let us come before You right now, together, and pledge our hearts to You in this moment. Be catalyst for Your kingdom. In Your sweet, holy, precious name I pray. In Jesus' name. Bless 2022. Amen.
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