I’m not really a resolution-y kind of gal.
Don’t get me wrong, I am all about fresh starts, especially when it comes to God’s mercies being new everyday or facing Monday’s with enthusiasm and drive. (Well, most of the time anyway.)
But for January 2014, God was all about the fresh starts for me. I didn’t make any resolutions. Instead, God called me to some pretty powerful God-sized dreams.
A couple of them are fitness dreams (one is that this asthmatic shall be running a 10k <that’s 6.2 miles!> in March) one is financial, a couple are spiritual.
But another of my big ones? Yes, he has called me to write a book. (Read all about that big risk here.)
Just thinking about it still puts my stomach in knots and makes my heart flutter. When I think about it, it’s really difficult not to get overwhelmed.
“Lord, I kind of knew you would eventually call me to write a book. But now? Seriously, like today?!? I have an 11-month-old daughter and a husband who is currently away doing army-ish stuff. Oh, and you have called me to go back to blogging five days per week. HOW on earth an I supposed to find the time to write even more?”
God is funny like that. Even when things seem overwhelming or impossible, He breaks it down into steps that I can handle. (As long as he is helping me, of course.)
Enter stage left: Jeff Goins’ #My500words challenge.
The premise is simple. Everyday in January, you write 500 words. That’s it.
I am thankful that I have plus or minus already established a pretty regular writing habit, but this really challenged me to deepen it. It is now engrained in the writer in me. It makes me WANT to write even more. It makes me pay attention to the progress I am making, not get overwhelmed by “just” getting a few paragraphs of this book hammered out or “just” doing one blog post.
It makes me work. Think. Pray. GROW. (Which divinely is my One Word for 2014.)
Before I get into the grand total stats, I do want to add a teeny disclaimer: I intentionally didn’t write EVERY day in January. After prayerfully considering it, I felt God nudging me to take Sundays off for two reasons: 1) I have a tendency to get overzealous about things like this, and then they start to turn into an idol and 2) My words are from God, for God, by God… I need Jesus to help me to write. Without him, I have no words worth diddly to share. So Sundays are my day to just BE with him.
Ok. Here’s the moment you have been waiting for. (Or maybe it’s just the moment I’ve been waiting for.) Either way, here are my “stats:”
Number of days completed #My500words challenge: 25 (All days in January minus Sundays and two days I intentionally took off to honor my friend Brandi who had flown in from Kansas)
Number of words written total: 28, 329
Can you believe it?? Over 28,000 words! That’s about 25% of a book. (Although half of those words were in blog posts.) How powerful it is when we let God into our lives to help develop a productive habit! It was incredible to see Him work through me on days where I was tired, frustrated, out of ideas, under spiritual attack from the enemy, sick, or dealing with an anti-napping baby. He did it folks. And it was awesome.
So to my bloggy/writer friends: Did you do the #my500words challenge? If so, how did it turn out? Feel free to leave a comment below and utilize “Comment Luv” to leave me a link.
For my sweet non-writery friends: Have you set some goals for 2014? How are they going? In what ways is God moving in your life? I would love to hear all about it (and even pray for you in the process!)
(If anyone is reading via email and would like to join the conversation, click here.)
I am so thankful for this challenge and God’s divine hand in all of this… I loved this challenge so much, I might just keep at it until this book is complete. (That way it might exist before my tiny human daughter graduates high school.)
Friends, no matter what challenges you are facing or what new habits God is calling you to develop or refine today, I want to encourage you that HE can and WILL do it. Just believe and find a supportive community (perhaps 7DT?) to support you.
Let’s raise our glasses (or keyboards) for a challenge: COMPLETE!
To the Glory of God alone,
“God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.” ~Ephesians 3:20-21 MSG
PS: I am SO blessed to also be blogging for Wives of Faith today! Please swing by and check out how God really spoke to me and reminded me that yes, Love Always Trusts.
Linking up today with Jen at Soli Deo Gloria Sisterhood, Hazel via Tell Me a Story and Jennifer Dukes Lee over at #TellHisStory. Be sure to join our #EverydayJesus link-up community right here at 7 Days Time every Thursday.
