The Waiting Walk

A new year is here.  Why is it we love this clear marker for a new start so much?  Aside from the calendar, January 1^st doesn’t have much to set it apart from December 31^st or January 2^nd.  Same weather.  Same basic number of hours and minutes and sunlight and darkness. Yet this day, more than any other, we choose to use as a point in time to make big, drastic changes. 

But the statistics show that this is not hugely successful.  Far too many of the changes  determined on January 1^st have fallen by the wayside by February 1^st and nearly all have disappeared by the time March comes along.

I’ve never been that big into resolutions in the past, and even less these days. I am, however, in favor of looking backwards over the past year and more, and allowing experiences and lessons learned to guide our direction and our focus for the future.  We must learn from our experiences.

More than promising big changes, I instead prefer to point my focus in a positive direction.  Ideally this is a daily experience all year long. But evaluating it as we flip from 2022 to 2023 is not a bad idea.

Instead of going the route of big resolutions, many people I know choose instead one word to help them focus their direction throughout the year.  This fits more with how I operate, and last year I chose the word Freedom.

It was a good word.   It was for freedom that Christ set us free.  I have grown in my walk and understanding of God and His incredible love for us.  The freedom that comes with understanding (to each tiny degree more) who God really is according to HIM, and not according to myths and traditions and improper theology… it is truly freeing.

Also as I look back over this past year, I have an overwhelming sense of gratitude.  It has been an intense year for sure.  But the people, the support, the resources in my life have made it a year of growth and settling.

But as I look forward to the next year, a new word continues to float around in my mind.

Healing.

I am happy.  I am healthy.  I am loving my current place and space in life.

But I am not naïve enough to think that I have processed all there is to process about big events in my life.  No, there is much healing that still needs to happen. For me. For my children. For our family.

And I’m OK with that. 

This year I will check in with myself in slightly deeper and more intentional ways than before. 

This year I will be available for deeper conversations and more experiences with my children.

This year I will intentionally create spaces and go places that may cause me angst and pain at first, but the journey can/should/will result in clarity. In peace.  In healing.

This year I will focus on continuing to grow and deepen my relationship with the Master Healer. Because all real healing goes through Him, and comes from Him.

So Happy 2023!

The Year of Healing.