Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” – Psalm 105:3-4
Okay, so we are now two weeks into the new year. If you are like me, you have set some new goals for yourself and started the new year super excited to achieve them. Maybe you’ve even been chanting, “This is the year!”
For me, this is the year that I want to conquer early mornings! You see, I am not a morning person. My bed is warm and cozy and my eye lids would rather not open until the sun is up (which this time of year, is fairly late!). But for years now, I have had a desire to get up before my family and have some time in the early morning to spend with the Lord. I can picture it now: the house is quiet and peaceful, I’m sitting in my comfy chair by the fireplace, curled up in my fuzzy blanket, sipping on my chai tea while I’m spending time with my Lord.
And, while, yes, over the years I have still found a way to make time with God happen, I have always looked longingly toward that early morning picture. It just seemed out of reach. I recently came to realize that the main thing that has gotten in the way of me achieving this goal, has been the “I can’ts”. The “I can’t get up that early because I just not a morning person.” Or the “I can’t function that early so I would be unproductive.”
I am determined this year to stop limiting myself with the “I can’ts” and have the courage to say, “with God’s help, I can!” While I know it will be hard at first, with possibly many difficult, half-awake mornings, I believe that I can get to the other side and reach my goal of that vision I have for my mornings. I know that if I can persevere through the hard stuff at the beginning, I will get to the place where it isn’t so hard and I will reap the fruit of my persistence in seeking the Lord.
Maybe you have set a goal to seek God more this year too. If you haven’t yet, what is one goal you can set that will help you grow in your faith and relationship with God this year? Whether it is to have time with God each day (even if it is only 15 min), to be in God’s Word, to pray more often, go to church consistently or finally check out that small group bible study, God will bless your efforts. Any goal that draws you closer to God is a good goal! And I have found that when I put my faith first, my other goals in life tend to fall into place as well.
So, what is that one faith step that you have not taken because of the “I can’ts? If you are willing to trust God and give Him that “I can’t”, he will turn it into something beautiful. He will strengthen you to do what you didn’t think was possible and grow your faith in the process.
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Phil 4:13
It is our hope that by the end of this year, you will be able to look back and see growth in your faith and a list of ways you have been stretched, trusted in God and experienced Him more fully. May you find joy in seeking the Lord this year!
P.S. If you have a faith goal that you would like us to pray about for you, please email us or comment below and let us know. We would love to be praying and encouraging you in your walk of faith!
