I find it always a bit intimidating to try again at something you felt that you failed. Amidst the chaos of the holiday season, adjusting to life with a newborn, and settling into a new pattern almost every day, this blog faded into the background. I have struggled to manage my time, and I am sure many of you wondered if I was going to continue writing it. I don't blame you. But I am here to apologize for my absence and to let you all know that I would love to continue writing articles. I will do my best to make my weekly goal, and will keep you updated as we navigate this crazy journey of life together :)
With the New Year upon us, I find this pattern of trying again to be recurring from year to year. Whether it is our goal to eat healthier, travel more, or work on our relationship with God (or all three!), we tend to repeat our goals. We might have lost track of time (like me) and let our goals linger in the wings of all we might do when we get some spare moments, or we had some unforeseen challenges that took our attention. Regardless, our repetitive resolutions might seem like nothing more than highlighted shortcomings as our years come and go.
I am here to encourage you. Trying again does not mean we have necessarily failed, but rather it demonstrates that we have the courage to give it another shot. In fact, we are told often in the Bible to never give up. 1 Corinthians 9:24 tells us "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." This verse is important for a number of reasons. It reminds us that we cannot give glory to God by sitting the race out, by never trying in the first place. It also tells us to give it all we've got. We are not promised an easy road, one where we might not lose our way from time to time, where we might not get hurt or stumble in the middle of it. No, we are instead told to go for gold regardless. God grants to us the unique opportunity to try again. He does not hold over our heads the weight of our past mistakes, shortcomings, or failures. In this way, we can find encouragement for trying again and continue to give it all we've got, no matter what it is we are doing.
A large part of never giving up is how we implement our faith. This is why we repeat our goals, why we come back to the places we need to work on, why we give it another go. We have faith that we can succeed if we try again. We know that we are capable of achieving our goals with God. Matthew 19:26 reminds us of this when it states, "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." The gift of trying again allows us to see God's boundless love and power. He can create in us something we did not have before and bring us back to places in order to grow and to give Him glory through paths we thought were overgrown and impassable. When we remember our tendencies to fail, become distracted, and lose focus are part of our sinful, human nature, we can seek God for His grace, comfort, and strength. In this way, we can see repetitive goals not as failures, but rather as opportunities for growth, chances to give God glory, and areas of life that we can give up for God to take charge of.
When I first began this blog, a few years ago now, I had felt the pull to do it. I had absolutely no doubt that God was calling me to give Him glory this way. I have set many goals that I have not yet reached and felt the frustration of staleness and writer's block. I thought with the birth of our son it might be time to call it quits and recognize when I cannot give this blog the time and energy needed to create thoughtful and impactful conversations. And while I might have let several weeks (even a few months) go by without new content, I cannot help but feel the pull to stay. If one person finds comfort, relief, or solace in my articles from week to week, I am not failing, but rather I am succeeding! So, with all of this, I want to wish you all a healthy and Happy New Year. I pray that you all find inspired motivation when thinking of your goals (repetitive or not!), and we all remember that focusing on God allows everything else to fall into place.
Thank you all, so very much for this community, and for reading! See you next week! :)
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