New Strategies

The week between Christmas and the New Year can be filled with several different emotions and thoughts. The nicely wrapped presents are gone, the tree doesn’t have its same spark anymore and we think, “now what?” Many of us make lists and New Year’s resolutions and a question a lot of us are asked is, “what is your word for this year?” We think of words, lists, goals, dreams, expectations, and do-overs. With all these expectations, a feeling of regret, doubt and fear can also sneak into our thoughts. We can think of the goals we made in previous years that didn’t exactly go as planned. We think of diets, jobs, dreams, and ideas that became a total flop, (in our opinion) and then we are supposed to add a whole new list of goals, dreams, and visions for a new year. What’s the point we might ask?

Well, let me be honest, I have had several dreams, goals and lists that just didn’t go as planned. I have had people say things like “I’m sorry your idea didn’t work out, I know that would have been really cool.” And an old classmate once said, “I thought you would be someone famous by now?” The older I get the more I realize these comments are not failure moments they are simply a humble reminder of Proverbs 16:9 that, as our hearts plan God is the only one who establishes our steps. What may look like failure to the world, in all reality, is allowing God to do His work in us. Let our unfinished goals, dreams and visions be a tool to grow us, to expand us and to help us persevere in the unexpected. 

We are a people of expectations, but He is a God of adaptations. When we read God’s word, we have an understanding that He is not always going to do, what the people expected Him to do. He takes our goals and revises them. He reworks, adjusts, and modifies them until the time is ready for Him to release it. He will allow us to have some failed dreams. He will allow us to rework our expectations to align with His heart and it is all for His purpose. He is a good Father that wants to give good gifts to His children, we must stand open and ready for all that He wants to establish in our lives.

As we enter a new year, let us all come with expectation, with dreams, goals and vision. Let us also come with the great understanding that God is full of new strategies. As we tune into His voice, He will direct our steps with ideas that may seem out of the ordinary. In the Bible, God gave Joshua an “out of the ordinary” request to win the battle of Jericho. He and His army were to walk around the walls of Jericho over and over again. They were to walk for six days in silence. During that time, I am sure the thought came to them, “why are we just walking around these walls again and again, how could this possibly work?” Then the seventh day came and the seventh time around the walls the trumpets blew the people shouted and the walls came tumbling down, the battle was won and the new strategy, that looked different was a success. They walked in obedience, perseverance, and trust that God would do what He said He would do. 

New strategies are coming, new dreams and visions are being released to you straight from The Lord. Write them down, hold them in your heart and if you find yourself walking quietly around those dreams for a while, do not worry because the 7^th day is coming.

Happy New Year’s