Every year I start to wonder if God is going to give me another word for the year. This year was no different. I was starting to doubt if there would be a word and then it hit me. 2018 was a pretty busy year and it seems like we are limping into 2019. Because we have been so busy I felt like I wasn’t always focused on how I could help others. I felt God telling me that I need to be a good steward of what He has given me. I thought stewardship would be the perfect word for 2019.
Here is how I am hoping it will look:
Relationships-
I want to shepherd my children’s hearts. I want to disciple them and most of all pray for them. I want to be a good wife to Peter and cover him in prayer as well. I want to be a better friend than what I have been. I want to be the friend that contacts people and asks them how they are doing. I am terrible about that right now. I want to have more meaningful conversations and I want people to see Jesus in me.
Health-
God has given me one body and I have not been taking care of it very well. I would like to exercise more and eat less processed foods and more foods that were created by God naturally. I want to encourage my kids to exercise and eat healthy as well and take care of their bodies. Also, I want to learn more creative ways of serving vegetables and get out of my green bean box.
Money-
Money is the word I think of most when I think of being a good steward. I don’t want our family to be overindulgent but to give freely of what has been given to us. Kristen Welch talks about things being a test or blessing in her book Raising World Changers in a Changing World. I want our family to consider the gifts that have been given to us and find out how we can use our possessions to bless others.
Mindfulness-
One of the best ways I can be a good steward is to look for ways to bless others. When I am on social media I can be thinking about who I can pray for and who I can encourage. I can put time limits and only check social media once a day instead of mindlessly scrolling throughout the day. I can be present with my family and friends. I can get up in the morning and ask God what He wants me to do that day instead of getting bogged down in my own routine.
I want to spend 2019 giving away the grace that God has shown me.