I don’t usually do new year’s resolutions—but a lot of my coworkers every year write three words they want the new year to be about. Perhaps I’m cheating, as I’m just using the things God spent 2011 telling me 2012 was going to be about, but I have three areas of focus for 2012. Praying through these and others for the first 21 days in our all staff fast.
Faith. 2012 is going to be an amazing year. Big change is coming, I prayed for it for all of 2011. There will be very little on December 31 that looks the same as January 1. I don’t know exactly what’s coming, but I know I need to be ready to act with full faith and boldness. Every time I’ve stepped out in faith, the result has always been better than anything I could have anticipated. I’m excited about what’s coming, and I pray I have the Faith to seize it, no matter how uncertain.
Active. I’m too passive. In many circumstances, this has been a huge strength because it has given me incredible amounts of patience and perseverance in relating to extremely difficult people (hello middle school students! :) But passively accepting these relationships as they are shortchanges everyone involved. I’m going to be a lot more active in raising the bar. I will always accept people for who they are, but my goal is to actively encourage and challenge those around me to be better. And I will always take the first, active, steps to better myself. I’m going to be an Active example in all circumstances, not a passive victim of what “just happens”!
Purity. Purity in thought, purity in deed, purity in motivation, purity in word, purity in action. I don’t want any impure motives, any selfish desires, any extra attention on me. This isn’t a 2012 goal, but a goal I have for my whole life. To be more like Jesus in every way. And Jesus is completely pure, without even a hint of selfishness or impurity. That’s who I want to be most like.