Saturday, January 4, 2014

Year of Joy

Copyright Sarah Fusaro 2014

Sarah:

First weekend of 2014!

Around New Years, I don't so much set Resolutions so much as I do Goals.

And this year, my husband and I have declared 2014 to be a year of Joy.

I want to live. Fully, deeply, every-fiber-of-my-being live. My heart wants to drink deep the cup which God has given to me and, whatever my lot, rejoice and give thanks.

This life is so short, but a blink in the scope of eternity. And I want to live ready to die, I want to die daily and be raised again in His joy by the power of the cross.

I've been reading Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts. It.is.lifechanging. It has breathed life into my dry, anxious soul and convicted me and challenged me not to live clenched-fist-worried about what will come but to live open-handed and grateful for all things God has given.

And so this year I want life to be filled with the peace that passes understanding because of joy.

Here are some other goals for 2014, in case you're interested in those kinds of things:
-To create a peaceful, joyful home environment
-To host more
-To love deeper
-To read through the Bible
-To finish my novel
-To raise my son according to His ways
-To exercise multiple times a week and honor my body as a holy temple
-To name 1,000 gifts from God in my life
-To be a better wife

Courtney:


I used get annoyed with new year resolutions. I would watch people resolve to do these big things that sounded great-and watch them often neglect to follow through within the first few weeks of the year-sometimes even within the first few days!

I do, however, love goals. I've researched creating measurable goals for a more likely outcome and how writing goals and speaking goals to others can help increase success at achieving. When I think about being "resolved" to do something-I think about making a sudden, unwavering change. On the flip-side, I see a goal as an objective I'm working for-like taking a journey to reach a certain place.

With that being said, I embrace setting goals for a new season. Why not set goals for things in life as the concerns arise? I started a new season of my life last spring and set some goals for a year spanning from May-May; so at that point I created some spiritual, physical, and financial goals. However, as I start 2014 I have some more objectives to aim for.


Goals of 2014-and on:

-To love bigger
-To show more mercy
-To get more involved with my church

I love Sarah's perspective about joy. Certainly there is much to be joyful about.


"For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him." 
-Romans 5:6-9 

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