By Hey, hey friend! I just want to wish you all a happy February!
Can you believe it’s February already?? I honestly feel like we were just ringing in the New Year and now Punxsutawney Phil just saw his shadow. Doesn’t time just go so fast?
In January, a lot of people, and probably yourself too, create a New Year’s Resolution or have particular goals and visions for their year. I know I do!
Now, at the beginning of a new month I like to do an honest evaluation of where I am in accomplishing those goals.This is where I sit down and look at my focuses for the year and basically say, “Okay I did great on this one! But that one could use a little more attention this coming month,” so on and so forth. So I want you to honestly look at your pursuits… are you crushing them? Or have they fallen by the wayside?
Looking at January in my own life, I would say it was more of a combination of the two. At times, I was totally crushing my goals, and I was feeling great! Sadly, at other times I wasn’t. Those times to where they fell by the wayside I had a tendency to get upset with myself and beat myself up over it.
Now, some of those times where I slacked were circumstances I couldn’t control, such as rushing from work, to a meeting, to a small group. In those times, it was hard for me to focus on my goals for that month behind all of the busyness of my day. Other times, I was just exhausted from the work day and just needed to relax. Times like these are where I have to give myself some grace and allow myself to rest. Afterall, we as humans aren’t robots and therefore need that rest.
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There are times where I feel super guilty about resting. Part of that is my personality. I love to accomplish things, and if I’m not careful I will keep going and going and going until I become burnt out, which is never a good place to be. The other part comes from people pressuring me to do more. I’ve had people get mad at me for protecting my schedule for intentional rest days, saying I need “breaks.” And at first I was super bothered by this. I don’t want people to ever think of me as lazy, so for someone to say that was really hurtful. I let it get to me to the point I was sacrificing my rest.
I finally got to the place where I realized that rest is essential and, no matter what people think, I have to protect those days. God even rested. One whole day, 24 hours, God rested. He got to sit back and enjoy, so we need to make those allowances for ourselves and not let what anyone else says or thinks deter us from intentionally making that time.
Now, I know most of us don’t have a full day to commit. Trust me, I know how hard that is. But it’s still setting aside that time to rest and just enjoy the things God has given us.
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So while my January didn’t measure up to how I wanted it, I still made progress. That’s what matters. As long as you’re progressing and doing better than the last month, that’s a win! I just have to give myself some space for grace and know that I am working towards my goals, and the same goes for you.
As much as we wish it, we don’t get from A to Z overnight, and it’s not a straight road either. Reaching our goals might be a bumpy ride, easy at times and difficult in others. But I think there’s beauty in this. That the struggle is what helps prepare us for that end goal. If we got to where we wanted when we wanted, we wouldn’t learn the valuable lessons that the journey would teach us.
So yeah, the road may be difficult. It may take a ton of discipline on our behalf, but you know what? It’s totally worth it.
So, I want to go back to my original question and ask, how did your January go goal-wise? Make an honest evaluation for yourself; this is for you. What aspect are you excelling in? What needs a little more attention this month?
I will go even further and challenge you to write your evaluation down and consider the ways you can progress in the goal or focus you have set for 2021. Once you have this in place, set your mind to it and ask the Lord to help you make that progress!
“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:13
Thanks for tuning in! Catch y’all later 😉
Caleigh
An adventurer and coffee enthusiast at heart, Caleigh Ball has a passion for reaching out to others to inspire them to live with intention and purpose. As an ordained minister, she spends her time ministering as a youth pastor and is actively involved in Arise Ministries as the vice president and bookkeeper as well as one of the ministers. She enjoys life with her husband, Emmanuel, and their cat, Alaska, in their home state, Almost Heaven West Virginia.
Find Caleigh on Instagram at @caleigh.ball
by leaps and bounds 