"It has already existed in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of those who came before, and of those who will come after there will also be no remembrance by those who follow them."
- Ecclesiastes 1:11
Coming out of a year like 2020, I felt like I had to do it all in 2021. I forgot what it was like to live life with multiple obligations on my plate. At the end of the year, I found myself overwhelmed and fearful of losing everything God gave me. I spent the majority of 2021 living in fear and constant anxiety. In 2022, I feel like God wants me to do two things; be present and rest.
There are a lot of things I plan on doing to make these two things a priority this year. A few of them, I'll be sharing along the way. I want to be a woman of my word in 2022 because I lost that in 2021. The best way to do that is resting in the right way.
I may not get it completely right this year, but I do want to make more of an effort to try. One of the beautiful things about God is that we don't have to wait for a new year to start a goal. Every day brings brand new mercies, and with that, we have the gift of new beginnings every day.
As I was studying the book of Ecclesiastes this week, a lot of common themes are presented. The one that resonated the most with me is that the things on this earth are not eternal. Our wealth and materialistic items will not go with us to heaven, it is all merely futile. God didn't place us on this Earth to simply build material wealth, each of us has a purpose. We're still here because the mission He has for us is unfulfilled.
Going into this new year, I challenge you to spend more time with God. What has He been putting on your heart to focus on this year? Oftentimes, the answer is right in front of us, it just takes some listening ears and no distractions for us to see it. I recognized that I didn't enjoy 2021 as God called me to because of being burnt out and living in fear. He wants us to enjoy our blessings, but we can't isolate ourselves from Him in the process.
In 2022, I want to be present in all aspects of my life and make rest a routine practice. To make the most out of both of those things, I need to loosen my grip on my blessings and leave room for God to work in them.
Do you have a word for the year? Is there something God is calling you to focus on in 2022? I want to hear!
Xoxo,
Girl with Grace