It’s likely that if you have ever met me in person or been around 7 Days Time for a hot minute, you know a few things about me (in no particular order):
- I am a Jesus writer, speaker and spiritual leadership coach.
- I am an army wife.
- I am a toddler’s mama.
- I am a nerd.
I feel like we should sing that song from Sesame Street, “One of these things is not like the other.”
But honestly, they all fit together really well.
I don’t know when “nerd” picked up a negative connotation (probably in the 90’s– Thanks, Nerdstrom in Saved by the Bell) but I am on a mission to redefine “nerd” into something positive. And slightly humorous.
My nerd-like signs include, but are not limited to:
*A ridiculous love/obsession/collection with office supplies
*The inability to resist the urge to go inside Goodwill and purchase new-to-me-books after donating an entire box of them
*Color-coded spreadsheets (as long as it is for organizational purposes only– no numbers allowed)
*Planning. All. The. Things.
*Setting Goals
As it is the New Year, that last nerdy-indicator is in full ON mode. Several years ago, I set half-hearted New Years Resolutions.
Then about four years ago, I set some “S.M.A.R.T Goals” for the New Year.
Both worked ok… But didn’t have the staying power I was looking for.
THEN… I discovered God-Sized Dreams. (For more information, check out Holly Gerth’s book over here.)
My God-sized dreams are the path, the fuel, the fire, the focus for my year. And they just get more and more transformative as I move forward.
It’s awesome. And painful. And intense. And exciting.
God-sized dreams are probably the reason why they call this journey “Growing pains” instead of “Growing Parties.”
So today, I want to share you where Jesus and I have been in the last year.
In 2015, I had the following God-sized dreams:
Become Debt-Free~ Not Done (yet…) We didn’t quite achieve this dream due to some unforeseen expenses in the final quarter of the year… BUT we made some significant progress and, Lord willing, we will be totally debt free by mid-February 2016. Just over a month to go!! (Side Note: I know I have significantly grown in the Lord as I am totally at peace with the fact that this has not yet been checked off of my list… Go Jesus, go!)
Do a pull-up OR Run a marathon~ DONE. Honestly, I think the first half of this one was my fearful flesh, then God tacked on the marathon thing a couple of months into 2015. (Because I don’t know in what planetary dimension that running 26.2 miles is my preferred to working on upper body strength to do a single pull-up, but whatever.) Either way, I ran a full marathon and didn’t die. Thanks, Jesus!
Complete the 52 book challenge~ DONE. I actually read like 57 books– this was a great experience as it forced me to read books in specific categories that I never would have read otherwise. But I think I am going to go back to my free-style reading in the future. Especially since some of the fictional books I chose weren’t exactly edifying or were a horrible, emotional experience… I am STILL bitter about how the Divergent series ended. Don’t even get me started.
Encourage at least one different person per week via something tangible~ DONE. This was done more in batches, not necessarily weekly. Most was completed via snail mail and included encouraging letters, notes, Zentangles, gifts etc. Overall, I sent 63 pieces of encouragement. Pretty sure this one blessed me more than the recipients!
Pray for my husband every day for a year~ DONE. This was a great one for me, as it kept me focused and allowed me to take part (albeit minuscule amount) in God’s transformative work in my Beloved. We had some cool breakthroughs (that we didn’t know we needed) in our marriage… and I think it was my focus on TRUSTING God with my husband that opened some doors for this. (Another side note: I used the topics in “Power of Praying Wife” to pray for my hubs– I wrote all of them on a single note card and did one a day, and started over when I got through the list. There are about 30 items on there, so I prayed the list 12 different times.)
Seek Intentional REST~ DONE. Talk about a hard core game changer for me, friends! As you know, REST was my One Word in 2015... And it is so very hard (but necessary) for me. (Probably why God picked it!) I chose some specific guidelines on this one: Try to take a daily power “nap” of 15-20 minutes (rarely did I actually sleep– but the brief unwind time lying in bed with my eyes closed charged me up for the rest of my day!), take two overnight breaks/sabbatical in the calendar year and at least one day a month (other than Sundays) to not work but just do something to sharpen my saw. I accomplished this dream, with a total of 275 mini naps. My life has changed FOREVER (and I plan on continuing my daily time sacrifice with my nappage moving forward.)
Friends, it is nearly impossible for me to put into words how the Lord transformed me in 2015. But take my word for it– He is totally at work and I could not be more excited.
How did you see God at work in your life in 2015? Join in and leave a comment here.
Oh, and Jesus is obviously not done yet! Be sure to stop by on Friday this week when I share my God-sized dreams for 2016.
Here’s to dreaming big– really big. Like, God-sized big.
Dreaming for Christ,
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
~2 Corinthians 3:18
