“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” – Jim Rohn

Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

It’s the second week of January… where goals and resolutions go to die. I’m almost joking. According to some research (DriveResearch.com), about 23% of all resolutions are given up within the first week of the New Year. Whoa! I’m sure we have all been there. Feeling on top of the world for the first few days while we keep up with all of our new, shiny goals and new resolutions. We feel unstoppable! 

But of course, inevitably, something stops us. Waking up with a cold, or worse our kids waking up with a cold, or maybe sleeping in, or thinking to ourselves “it’s ok just this once”. Either way our resolutions, hopes and dreams get pushed around by the realities of life. This can leave us feeling discouraged and hopeless about where we are headed for the New Year. 

Yet, as Christians, and really as humans… we are gifted with this beautiful opportunity for second chances, for new days with no mistakes in them yet, for being forgiven and clean while still on Earth and still needing forgiveness. A dichotomy between messing up and continuing on anyway. That’s what I want to talk about in this blog! We have a whole year ahead of us. I want to encourage all of us to keep doing our best throughout the year, to keep pressing on toward the very best that we can be. Let’s find encouragement together and share it with others! 

ENCOURAGEMENT

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” – Albert Schweitzer

The Oxford Dictionary defines encourage as a verb to give support, confidence or hope to someone. It really feels like it means to give courage to someone! What a beautiful thing. If I could, I would take you to coffee and listen to your stories and do my best to share courage, support and hope. Since it’s hard to do that, instead I want to share courage by giving you some encouragement we can find in Scripture. Here are a few verses that stand out to me:

John 16:33 - "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

Isaiah 41:10 - "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Philippians 4:6–7 - “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 34:4–5, 8 - “I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”

Joshua 1:9 - "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

Matthew 6:31–34 - "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or "What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

STAY ENCOURAGED

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” – Albert Schweitzer

The hardest part of sticking to our goals and resolutions or staying encouraged when things get difficult is actually just how frequently we have to do things. I remember at some point when my daughters were toddlers and I was standing doing dishes for the third time that day and I realized… “Oh my gosh, I am going to have to do dishes and clean the kitchen multiple times, every day, for the rest of my life.” Did it feel incredibly dramatic and overstimulating? Yes, thank you for asking. 

The truth is that most of our goals (working out, reading the Bible, writing a book, etc) are all things that have to be done every day. Another truth is that we will often have hard days. Days where we don’t want to do the things we should, where we want to give up and do the things we don’t want to do. Days when everything will feel so much harder. That’s ok, it’s a part of the world we live in. Not only that, but it’s also something Jesus himself has told us to expect. 

So how do we keep going? Through the mundane days, the difficult moments, and all the hard moments. We work to stay encouraged! Here are a few tricks that have helped me!

• Set aside time every day to focus on your relationship with Christ. First thing in the morning, or during a break, or late at night. Find time every day to read the Bible, pray, or journal. 
• Find things that leave you feeling encouraged and make time for them! I enjoy watching old movies, listening to my favorite music, reading books, and crocheting or knitting. I try to find time for some of these things every day or every week. It fills up my soul!
• Be careful what you listen to. I think it’s very important to read the news, to know what’s happening in the world, but I also think you can overdo it. The fact that we have so much news and information at our fingertips at all times can cause stress and anxiety. So set it aside sometimes!
• Set limits for screens and social media. I am still working out what this looks like in my life. However, I try to only be on social media for work, or tiny pockets of time. I turn off screens before bed so I can read or journal or create. I also try to set times away from screens for our whole family. 
• Surround yourself with people who encourage you! And then work to encourage them too. 

What should I have added to this list?

“Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, ‘It will be happier.’” – Alfred Lord Tennyson

QUESTIONS AND REFLECTIONS FOR STAYING ENCOURAGED

If you want to add to your time of reflection and planning, here are a few questions to journal through! 

1. What has helped you to stay encouraged in the past? 
2. How can I encourage others around me? 
3. Where in my life do I most need encouragement and support? 
4. What specific steps can I take this year to add encouragement into my life? 
5. What’s one thing from this blog that you want to use or put into action? 

Isaiah 43:18-19 - “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.