Resolutions that matter
Typically when approaching a new year, people make resolutions to better themselves in the next year. These can be superficial things or they can be very deep and meaningful. While a lot of resolutions end up being about health and losing weight, some can be made for changes in our spiritual life. A new year means a new start and as Christians, we can use this as a fresh start for us and our relationship with Christ. Now, it has been a week since the new year began and we would like to give you some encouragement for this upcoming year! We asked some of our staff to share about things that have affected them:
Spotify your Playlist
I sometimes find in my life that during “normal” seasons, it’s really easy to forget to talk with God all the time, recognizing His presence with me, and the miracles He’s shown me; forgetting whatever He was trying to get me to “get” over the summer. I have a very one-track mind, so I get really tunnel-visioned when I’m at work or with my family or even celebrating Christmas, and it’s hard for me to intentionally step away to take time to fix this. So, I’ve started doing two things this year to help myself out: I edited my Spotify playlist, and I re-read Galatians I’ve had a worship music playlist on Spotify for awhile, but I went through it and deleted/added songs until the only music left really got me in touch with who God is, and helped me feel like I’m right in His throne room. Sure, relationships aren’t all about how you feel, but really solid music that makes you think positively about life and what God’s done helps. The second thing is that I decided to re-read Galatians, which is the book that the staff went through my very first summer at camp. It’s the book that completely wrecked me; ripping away everything I thought I knew about God and life and love and brought me down to the basics of faith in Christ. It’s still my favorite book of the Bible for this reason. So, even when I don’t “feel” close to God, I’m still choosing to immerse myself in truth and re-examining what is still in my brain but has become stale from lack of use. And then, because it’s on my mind more, or because someone might see me reading my Bible, it’s more natural for these topics to come up in conversations with the people in my life who don’t know Jesus! -Danae Cromwell
Focus on what matters
When I think about moments that helped my faith grow I think of times when God got to play the hero in my life. Times when I was too weak, too tired, to insignificant, to stupid, and just not articulate enough to complete the task at hand. In moments like these we can either cower away from the challenge or step forward. We can choose to believe in God’s greatness or focus on our own weakness. When I think of pivotal moments in my faith, they are moments where I take a risk and get to watch as God back’s me up. It’s never an easy thing either. But God is glorified most in the epic and difficult situations, when we choose to turn to Him instead of other things. My encouragement for you yahoo’s this year is to follow hard after Him, focus on the finish line, and live your lives for what really matters! -Will Graham
Post-It
I suggest putting a small note with one simple idea in a place where it will stand out and catch your attention on a daily basis. Change the content and location as needed to stay relevant and eye catching. I’m not one for post it notes, because it seems like you end up with so many notes floating around that you then need a while sticky note filing system just to find the one note you are looking for. However, I have found value this last year in having one (yes just one) note attached to my bathroom mirror. It carries just 5 words, that help re-focus my attention back on God. “Who do you turn to?” is what my note specifically said most of last year. But I’ll change it up as a new simple phrase helps me to grow in the areas I am most weak. -Jansen Wendlandt
Your Turn!
Now we want to hear from you! We would love to have you, our Rock-N-Water community, share some of the ways that have either helped you in the past or encourage each other in this new year. Please leave a comment on our post on Facebook and help us grow stronger and encourage each other!
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