Goodbye, 2019!

Looking back on a year makes me think of the saying we ascribe to the month of March, "The month of March comes in like a lion but leaves like a lamb." (According to the Farmer's Almanac, this is a hope for balance rather than a weather predictor.)

A new year comes in with great fanfare containing hopes, dreams and resolutions. By the time the year is ready to leave us, we glance back and remember the high points, but basically, we are ready to move on. We are always sure the new year will be better.

This post is all about looking back on 2019. My next post will list my top posts for 2019 and the lessons learned. The third post of the year will be about welcoming 2020.

The major highlight of the year for our family was Malia and Gavin's October wedding. It was beautiful and turned out the way they wanted.

My theme for 2019 was believing that goodness and mercy was chasing me down. (See Psalm 23:6) And that is exactly what happened with the medical issues that faced my family in 2019. Goodness showed up and all things were resolved.

Shouts of praise here in the Midwest!

What I learned in 2019

2019 was also the year our church tried an experiment - giving up midweek services for twice monthly Family Nights. Again, just like 2019, the idea arrived with big fanfare and ideals, but quietly packed its bags by December and left.

I'm proud of us for giving it a try! Realistically speaking, people are too tied up with family activities to make more church on the weekends work. 2020 will see us back to having midweek services, but with a slightly different format. More on that later.

My personal emphasis for 2019 was more writing and more walking.

I did write tons; but didn't get my book finished. I even took a week off to accomplish it but it was a bigger story than I thought. The good news is, ideas are still flowing and the end is in sight.

I bombed at walking. There's no getting around it. The last half of the year, it was embarrassing to even record the amount of steps I took. But I soldiered on and wrote them down anyway, because the truth is, I'd give up altogether if I didn't make some kind of effort. Onward 2020!

I discovered in 2019 my main obstacle to reaching my goals.

In a word, "hurry."

I heard John Mark Comer say in a podcast, "The effect of hurry on the soul is devastating …" He went on to quote Dallas Willard, “Hurry, the greatest enemy to our spiritual life in our day and you must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” 

Those words resonated with me as soon as I heard them. I live in a constant state of hurry. Always beneath the surface is a little voice reminding me of the next thing to be done.

That voice must be shut down!

Do you experience the same? Stick with me in 2020 as I examine ways to eliminate hurry and share what I learn.

How was your 2019? Leave a comment and share. Comments are treasured here at the Journey.


I'm linking this post to the community at #TuneInThursday