Gaining Perspective - A #2014Goal

Imagine it's New Years Eve - 2014. What would you hope the year behind you would look like? If you could tell your January 2, 2014 self what experiences you had, what lessons you learned, and what steps you took this year, what would you want those things to be?

I'm guessing that none of us would want to think about the people we lost or the pain we endured. We might not want to share the failures or the tears, and yet that's part of what makes up our character. It's not what we endure, but how we face it. Do we throw up our hands in despair, or do we face it head on and trust that God has a plan?

Right now, we're heading into the unknown. We like to say that God is writing our story - it might not be what we would pick, but we trust that He knows best. I'm the kind of person who likes to flip ahead and read the final chapter of a book (it drives my husband crazy!), but in real life, I can't do that. I might be dying to know what the final chapter holds, but I have to take it a page at a time; trusting that as God closes one chapter, He is already opening another. 

What will I know on December 31, 2014 that I don't know on January 2, 2014? A lot, I am quite sure. Just in the last five days, I've had three people in my community lose a loved one: a father, a mother, a spouse. Rather than dwell on the tone it's setting for the year, I realized that every moment is precious; so when my mother called for another reason entirely, I stopped working and invited her to lunch.

Managing time is important. Doing your best and working hard is important. These are certainly goals that are on my list for 2014. But then I think about the briefness of this life, and I realize, once again, that the only things that really matter on this earth are people. Spouse, parents, siblings, friends, co-workers, strangers on the street, yes, even acquaintances on Twitter and Facebook.

In the past I have chosen a word for the year - something to help keep me focused on a larger goal. This year, I think the best word for me is Perspective. Don't sweat the small stuff, stay focused on the bigger (eternal picture), but most of all, just take it a page at a time.

Perspective by Riley Cran

Welcome 2014 - I look forward to all that you will bring.