7 Practices to Savor Life in the New Year
Slow down. Laugh More. Wait on the Lord. Know God. Listen More, Speak Less. Grow!
Here they are. A top seven guide that God's been laying before me to pray about. While the list feels hard, I am aiming for progress, not perfection, and will seek to remember that nothing is impossible with God--for you and me.
So here goes, let's surrender and grow together.
1. Halt the Hurry “Be still, and know that I am God; Psalm 46:10
Slowing down. Saying no to the hurried frantic lifestyle. Taking a Sabbath. Sitting in moments of silence. Resting in God. Listening for him. This doesn’t mean doing nothing all of the time (will still be keeping in mind the Proverbs 31 woman), but I’ve been entrenched in the do more, try harder mentality especially trying to maintain what I was doing before adding children to our family.
We need to learn to dump the extremes and expectations imposed by today’s culture that demands hurry. It's a disease making us physically and emotionally sick. As a mover and production oriented person, this will be a challenge, but I’m learning that Jesus moved slowly. It’s His way and rest was part of God’s design from the beginning. A few books have helped me change my perspective on this and yearn to halt the hurry. Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God's Transforming Presence by Ruth Haley Barton The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World John Mark Comerand John Ortberg
2. Laugh more. Appreciate my limits.
“She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” Proverbs 31:25