Streamline

When I was praying about this new year, Holy Spirit gave me the word 'streamline'.  In my experience, as Christians, we tend to get very caught up in 'the new things' that God is doing in our lives, based on that amazing scripture in Isaiah 43:19, 'Behold, I will do a new thing; now it will spring forth.'  Our hearts want to embrace the new things, to serve God more, to be a better version of ourselves, to get a new vision and do even greater things.

Those are all good things! 

However, as good as these are, they can sometimes become almost like a spiritual version of New Year's resolutions, and the result is that we can start the year with a huge list of the changes we want to make and the things we want to accomplish - just a big heap of expectation! I don't think I've ever met anyone who comes to the end of their year and says, 'I've kept all my New Year's resolutions'!  Have you? It's almost like you're setting yourself up for failure! 

Our lives can be so busy and so fast that we can start to feel like the proverbial hamster on the treadwheel. So, rather than add a whole lot more to your life, try streamlining what you already do. That might look like stopping or reducing some activities you're involved in, or perhaps letting go of certain relationships for a while. As we pray about this year, I encourage you to ask Holy Spirit to tell you what you need to focus on for the next 12 months.  Ask Him to help you narrow down your 'to-do list' so you can invest in what's really important for this year, whether it's something you're already doing, or something new that He shows you. 

Be kind to yourself. Be realistic. Don't pile a heap of 'resolutions' on your already huge life load. 

Streamline! 

Have a blessed New Year. 

Nicky Heymans