It’s twenty-twenty. The new year has started. The season of merriment and Mariah Carey’s Christmas carols are over. School starts soon and work awaits. The new year beckons us. Are you ready?

We packed away our Christmas tree today. As we took off each Christmas angel and all the different Christmas balls; my daughter had her eyes set on the star that sat on the top of the tree. I remember when we put up the Christmas tree a few weeks ago, I told my girls that the star goes on the top of the tree because it reminds us of the day that Jesus was born. The star led the wise men to Jesus.

I sit with my twenty-twenty planner, it prompts me to write down my goals for the new year. January has been daunting, teasing me as the holidays slip further and further away and realities begin to sink in: bedtime routine, brushed teeth and bible stories all fall into there allotted time slots again; meal planning and multivitamins remind me that Monday is near.

As I fight off pending future familiarities of early school drop offs and gym sessions with a cup of hot chocolate and one last Christmas movie; God begins to massage His message into my heart. “Arise my daughter, awake, begin, create — start walking into all that I have for you this year and embrace it, because it’s pretty spectacular.”

However, the spectacular requires us to keep our eyes set on the star — our King Jesus. If we don’t, life will look a lot less spectacular and a lot more suspect; stumbling and shuffling about our days. Yet if we keep our eyes focused on Jesus, the tough turns into testimonies of His greatness and the spectacular begins to shine through us.

Psalm 119:105 – “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

His Word is my guide as I grasp the new and grapple with the not anymore’s.

It’s the rock on which I stand, my foundation as I face new realities and responsibilities.

His Word is my direction in the dark, in the distressing and in the draining seasons of life.

His Word is my correction, my encyclopedia of right and wrong, it challenges and shapes my character, creating a more Christ-like character within me.

His Word is my counsel, for my life – my marraige, my mothering, my ministry.

Step by step, day by day, let’s allow Gods Word to guide us through it all — each moment, each minute, in the mundane and the momentous. As we keep our eyes focussed on the King, we are able to activate a courage that lies dormant when sidetracked by other lesser charms.

Arise, awaken, activate — walk with courage and conviction, confidence and commitment to all God calls you to this year.

Ready, set, GO!

Happy 2020!