“Clear lots of ground for your tents!
Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big!
Use plenty of rope,
drive the tent pegs deep.”
~ Isaiah 54:2 (MSG)
The dawn of each new year always
seems like an ideal time to initiate change in our lives. A time to clear ground,
to enlarge the canvas of our lives, and to spread out and think big! This
requires a willingness to loose whatever is constraining us from reaching our
goals and give ourselves the freedom to break fresh ground; plant new seeds; nourish
them; and let them take root, grow, and be fruitful. With that in mind, here
are some of the goals I have set for myself in 2018:
Become
More Firmly Grounded in My Faith
My number one goal for the new
year is to grow spiritually and strengthen my relationship with the Lord. This
will mean clearing the way to spend more time with Him in contemplation and prayer
and in reading His Word so that His love will dwell more deeply in my heart and
ground me more firmly in my faith. His indwelling love is the soil in which my
heart and soul are rooted and the sunshine in which my spirit flourishes and
grows (Ephesians 3:17-19).
Become
More Fruitful in My Writing
My second goal is to become
more fruitful in my Christian writing. The Holy Spirit doesn’t want me to be
afraid to share my gift of writing or to shy away from this work of ministry. If
I remain faithful and obedient, He promises to help me uproot that snarled
undergrowth of thoughts and feelings that strangle my creativity and threaten
my fruitfulness. He will grant me the strength, courage, and self-discipline to
reach out and turn even the coldest of hearts and darkest of souls towards the
warmth and light of Christ (2 Timothy 1:7).
As FellowScript’s Editor, Spread Out—Think Big!
Thirdly, as FellowScript’s editor, my goal is to spread
out—to think big! I hope to enlarge the circle of FellowScript’s tent by continuing to break new ground and cultivate
new talent to expand our magazine’s scope and readership. As a member of
InScribe’s Executive, I share their objectives of involving more youth and increasing
our membership. Therefore, I plan to soon introduce a new YA Scribes Write page to FellowScript
to encourage more young Christian writers to contribute to our magazine.
Deepen My
Commitment to Exercise
My fourth goal is to expend
more of my energy on physical exercise. Just as it is beneficial to stretch and
strengthen ourselves mentally and spiritually, it is equally important
physically. As the decades fly by with increasing speed, I’ve discovered that
my fitness has steadily decreased. My joints are stiffer and my muscles less
flexible. My body has grown weary fighting the Battle of the Bulge and
sometimes—well—just plain weary! It is not only through caring for ourselves
mentally and spiritually that we honour God, but also by caring for ourselves
physically (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Spread My
Wings and Explore My World
Finally, I want to spread my wings and explore more of this wonderful
world. The first phase of fulfilling this goal is to explore as much as I can
of our scenic country. If everything works out as planned, I will be taking a
motorcoach tour from Winnipeg to Niagara Falls this spring. The favourite part
of my travels isn’t visiting cities or man-made sites, but exploring the
natural world God created. Being out in nature always makes me feel closer to
my Creator (Romans 1:20).
What new ground will you break, what good seeds will you sow,
and what fresh fruit will you produce this year?
Photo Credits: © Nina Faye Morey
