Twenty-Twenty-One for the Books.

The new year has come and is in full swing. Of course, most of us feel like 2020 should be erased and it will not be missed in the least bit. But, I was thinking… what if 2021 cant be one for the books without 2020 being one for the pits? Because really, it cant. We cant have a comeback from nothing, there has to actually be something to comeback from.

Initially, I hit New Years Day without a resolution. I didn’t have anything specific to change or do like I had been working on in 2020. No new circumstantial “goal” that eventually sets me up for failure when I set the bar above my reality. It’s just a new year, with the new me that had already come, unexpectedly, from the prior, tough year of 2020. Then it dawned on me as I was listening to some podcasts on a long drive. I thought, there doesn’t have to be some surface level feeling of change, some superficial goal that may not be met, some pounds to be shed, or some food to vow not to eat. There just needs to be a comeback of comfort that surrounds my heart, a comeback of confidence that overcomes my mind, and a comeback of consistency that consumes my family. So in that, I thought of words for 2021. After the list of words, I decided I actually need something that allows me to actively speak the word of God over my family. I need truth to proceed in a time that seems like truth has been buried and is no longer accessible. Here are the phrases that I chose based on my words, and I had no idea they would render such power for my family. I had no idea they would bring such a hope of redemption over a new season of life. (At the end of the blog are steps that I took to get to these final truths for us in 2021) : Abide Fervently, Anchor in Good Nature, and Command Significance.

ABIDE FERVENTLY: Accept or act in accordance with passion and enthusiasm. John 15:4 says “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch can not bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me.” Romans 12:11 says “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” Abiding is something that I firmly believe takes practice, in fact I do not even know if I have ever successfully done it. Perfectly imperfect, right? As humans, we want to do, work, fix, control. But abiding is the opposite of that control, it is sitting and immersing yourself in the true power of Jesus. The definition itself is to accept or act in accordance; it does not say to change or fix in accordance. Then, the word fervent meaning passion or enthusiasm. I think it is so important that we learn to passionately consume ourselves, and to do it in expectation with what the Lord wants to show us in this new year. Scripture has a sweet way of working together to give us a perfect picture of the Lord’s intention for our lives. These two verses that support abiding fervently give us hope that we can bear fruit by acting according to Jesus’ word and we should aim to do it fervently, zealously, and serve of our Lord and Savior. He has precious moments in store if we will just happily abide in his presence. Let us all believe that in a new and unknown year.

ANCHOR IN GOOD NATURE: Secure firmly and be surrounded by righteous and innate qualities and character. Hebrews 6:19 says “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.” and then in 2 Peter 1:4 we read “By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature , having escaped from the corruption that is the world because of sinful desire.” These scriptures converge to give hope that there is a place we can anchor our souls in our savior’s divine nature, so that we can escape the sinful desire of this world. The song that has really spoken to me about the nature of God is “Your Nature” by Kari Jobe. In this song, she says “there is no desert that your streams can’t run to, there are no ruins that your love won’t make new, you tell the wasteland that it will bloom again, cause its your nature.” Our God is good, and his action in our lives shows us that. His nature is to bring joy, peace, hope, and so much more. It is our job to anchor ourselves there. To anchor ourselves in the goodness and divine nature of Jesus. In all that our world is facing, in all that we face as spouses or parents, he is the only foundation we can rely on that has stayed consistent throughout the ages. I pray you can also take courage in the wasteland to know that the nature of God is to make you bloom again. I pray you feel incapable, like me, of creating a firm foundation for your family without anchoring yourself in good nature of our sweet Jesus.

COMMAND SIGNIFICANCE: Give authoritative order and take charge of the quality of being worthy of importance. In Genesis 27:8 we hear God say “Now therefore, son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.” Psalm also gives a perfect picture of significance. Psalm 34:17-20 says “When the righteous cry out for help, the Lord hears and delivers him out of them all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones, and none of them are broken.” This is my favorite phrase that the Lord spoke to me for 2021. To command significance is something that my family, and maybe yours, so desperately needs. We all experience things that tear us down, and chip away at the person we thought we once were. Not realizing that it could be God removing some of the layers and providing us with experiences for us to realize our undeniable significance as creations in his image. Genesis tells us that he commands us to obey his voice, and Psalm 34 we see such a picture the Lord exemplifying importance over our lives. These verses work together to give us the power to obey the Lord’s words that we are worthy in his eyes because when our bones are broken, his will never be. He is a miracle worker which makes us the miracles. The righteous are afflicted, but we are so important and loved by our Lord that he will deliver us from the torture and pain we endure on this side of Heaven. To command significance for my family will look like daily taking authority over the lies of this corrupt nation and not allowing myself to feel inferior to the calling God has placed on my life. You can do that too, take heart. It will take waking up, putting our feet on the floor, and commanding the struggles to flee in the name of Jesus because we are bought by grace, saved with mercy, and given the mark of righteousness in our father’s eyes.

Gosh, life can be hard. It took me days to really wrap my mind around what happened in 2020 and how to catapult myself and my kids into 2021 without feeling a depriving sense of despair and regret that came from 2020. While on the other hand, knowing I am better for it. Maybe there is a goodness that came from determining we can not do it alone. We can not go into 2021 without the hope and nature of our God.

Steps I took to find my action phrases for 2021. I encourage you to dig in and see what God will reveal for you to speak over your family as well.

1. I dug into Jesus. Listened to podcasts and sermons, read my bible and encountered other wise individuals to see their outlook on what Jesus did in 2020 and plans for our future.
2. I wrote words. Based on the truth I had listened to, simply wrote as many words as I could.
3. Took the words and put them together for phrases that I thought made sense for my family.
4. I decided to look up the actual definition of each word.
5. Created a sentence simply combining the actual definitions of the words and I truly see God’s truth spilling into those definitions. They came together perfectly and helped me see the active nature of Jesus.
6. I looked up bible verses that went with the words.
7. Lastly, I journaled all of the things that the words, definitions, and scripture meant for my family. Each family will be different and I encourage you to dig in. The Lord is living and active and wants us to take authority over our families during this unknown time.