I am one of those people who always underlined and highlighted almost everything in my textbooks because I thought it was all important. So trying to pick just one word every new year or make one or two important goals is overwhelming to me. I want so many things to change this year, how could I focus on just one area? I need a complete overhaul!! Since it is 2020 I have decided to do 20 for 20. I am picking 20 words for 2020 to talk about for 20 days. These 20 words are just that – 20 words.
Words are just words until we put them into action, which is why sometimes we get to the end of a year, or decade, and nothing has changed. Real change requires us to actually step out in faith and do something instead of waiting for things to change on their own. God, in His infinite wisdom, wants us to step out and make the changes ourselves, because He knows we will be better for it in the end.
For the record, I love it when things change on their own and I don’t have to do anything. I would prefer everything to fall into place on its own (or by God’s hand without my help) because it is painful and no fun sometimes to make these changes. But growth always comes from these times which is an important part of God’s plan. He uses everything and wastes nothing. If change is happening in our lives, not only will there be a change in some area of our lives, we will also be changed in the process.
It seems fitting that the first word for 2020 should be change. That is the first thing everyone thinks about with a new year. What do I need to do differently this year? How can I make my life better, more efficient, more meaningful? There are lots of answers to these questions and they are different for all of us, but one answer applies to everyone.
We can surrender our lives to God to make the changes that He wants to make, and know that we will have the best outcome for our lives. We will be better, our relationships will be better, our homes will be better, and so much more. That doesn’t mean everything will be perfect, but it means that we will look to Him and take every blind step in faith, trusting Him with everything.
Honestly in our humanness that is so hard. We are not good at letting go of control, and sometimes changes are made in our lives that are a result of other people’s actions and those changes can be scary and unwelcomed. Because we are still not in control, relinquishing control to God requires a lot of faith, but we can trust our Heavenly Father to always make the best choices for us. Whatever change He brings about, no matter how hard it is to get through, we can know He is doing the very best thing for us. We can’t see the whole picture and we are not in control, but we can rest in the fact that He is in control and He is so much more capable than we are of managing our lives.
I don’t know how my life will change this year. I know there are some changes I intend to make on my own – like eating healthier and exercising more, but I don’t know what God has planned for me. And that doesn’t scare me anymore, it excites me.
Things I Know Going Into 2020
I know He is for me and He loves me.
I know He has good things for me.
When I get out of the way,
And let Him be in control –
My life will be so much better
Even in the hard things.
I hope you can surrender control to God to make the change in you and your life He wants to make in 2020. It won’t come naturally, it will be a daily decision, but it will be the best decision you ever make.
By Lara Cook
