Another winter has come to pass.
Another spring has sprung.
Another year summer has begun.
Another round of lessons.
Another wave of blessings.

And another day, another week, another month, and another year of pressing into all who God has called us to be.

But with every inevitable ending, God always brings a new beginning. Maybe you’re starting your summer off realizing you’ve missed your goals and resolutions for the new year, or maybe you’re starting off the summer with a list of ten goals you’ve already accomplished this year. As we hit the mid-year checkpoint, let us consider eight friendly reminders when we make evaluate those resolutions we set at the beginning of the year, set our summer goals, and write the vision for the new seasons upon us.

God is in control.

We can write every desire, goal, vision, and dream out for our year, but at the end of the day, let us always remember: God is in control.

He’s in control on our best day & on our worst day. He’s in control in the valley & on the mountaintops. He’s in control when we get it & when we miss it. No matter where we go, what we do, where we fail, when we succeed, God is in control. He’s working on a masterpiece— YOU. And if we believe we are His masterpiece, we must allow the Maker to do what He does best: create & control for our best interest.

Progress is not a microwaveable process.

With every new year comes a refreshing energy & focus to accomplish goals. There’s a permission in the atmosphere to try something new, and focus is at an all-time high among people working on their resolutions.

After the New Year begins, weeks— maybe even months— go by, and we find ourselves searching for shortcuts. We want to lose weight, but we’re not seeing results after working out for a few weeks. “What else could I do to lose the weight?”
We want to be smarter with our money, but we get off track from our budget after a few months. “What could I do instantly, overnight to fix my financial situation?”

Now, now, now. When, when, when?

Remember that any place worth going won’t have shortcuts. It won’t be “insta” possible. It won’t be a microwaveable process.

Real development— deep in your character & Spirit— takes time. Don’t microwave the process.

Change is inevitable.

Over the next several months in the year, things will change. Shocker, I know.

Old fads will be gone away, and new fads will come.
Old friends will drift out of our lives, and new friends will come.
Old habits will die, and new habits will come.

Change is good. Change is growing. Change is development. The more we resist change, the more change resists us. The more we fight change, the more change fights us.

God’s not finished with us yet; therefore, change is coming. Buckle up for the change that still awaits us.

Growth requires work, but it also requires rest.

God’s desire for us is to love Him & love people. His desire for us is to trust him, seek him & know His voice.

What will it take to get there?
Work. Working hard. Not to earn anything, but to make the steps & moves towards God. It will require self-discipline, motivation & patience, but what He has for us on the other side of where we currently are at is so much greater. The intimacy He desires for us to have with Him is so much sweeter.

All of it will take work, but all of it will also require rest.[/twee_box]

All of it will take work, but all of it will also require rest.

I’ve seen too many people become “yes-mans” instead of choosing their best yes. I’ve seen them jump at every task, every event, every opportunity that comes their way and become weary.

God desires for us is to choose his best yes & rest this year.
His plan won’t come with frustration & unease.
His plan will come with peace & rest.

Comparison will rob us of the fullness.

God has uniquely mapped out our year and seasons– not for our neighbor, not for our friend, not for our spouse— but for us. Getting caught up in comparing our New Year and all of the upcoming opportunities, transitions, and seasons to someone else’s will rob us of the fullness.
God has a year designed for us that’s beyond anything we could imagine on our own.

Ephesians 3:20 tells us he will do exceedingly above & beyond anything we could ever think & imagine.

If we’re caught up in only imagining our life to mirror someone’s life around us that we deem successful, we’ll put our own limit on what God can do in & through us.

There will be seasons of rain and seasons of drought.
There will be rain & there will be a drought.
There will be a harvest & there will be a desert.
There will be moments we feel right where we’re supposed to be & moments where we don’t know where God’s taking us.
There will be easy decisions & hard decisions.
There will be opportunities & there will be disappointments.

But in every moment and season this year, God is with us through it all.

You have 7 months of upcoming chances to choose joy.
If you could look back on your life one year from today, what would you want it to look like?

Some people may have a specific goal they’d like to see come to pass; others may have an overall vision that may take longer than a year, but you know the growth process starts now.

For me? Summer is about choosing joy. In choosing joy, I’ll be more at ease, confident, and content with what happens around me. I’ll be a better wife, my faith will increase, and more effective in everything I do.

Whether you’re counting down the days until this year ends, or you’re dreading every minute we draw closer to a new one, know this: every year you’re on this planet is another year to draw closer to the Creator of the Universe. Every year we step into is another year God has intentionally marked & lined up for us to step into something greater than we’ve stepped into before.

Every year, He is DOING a new thing. We give thanks for all that He has done, and all that He will do in the future, but right now, in this moment— God is doing a new thing (Isaiah 43:19).

And He longs for the rest of this year to be your best year yet.