REFRESH :

Two weeks into the new year. A list of twenty-six goals is sitting on your desk. One checked off.

Once we've passed through the Christmas coma, we come to the "how many plans can I make in one week" phase. We set unrealistic goals, we make goals of things that really shouldn't count as goals at all, and we make plans to plan (What? Yes, we all do it). Post-checklist week, we role into the new year. A time filled with stress about new semester and excitement over the fact that you've made it through one day of the thirty that you promised you would stay away from Starbucks. Initially, it's the little wins that fuel our drive to continue pursuing goals. And then, life gets hard. Holiday breaks end and those checklists get shoved in drawers. Instead of recreating the impossible goals we set, we throw them aside.

What this whole process lacks is intentionality.

We so desire instant gratification-an end result- in all of our lofty goals that, in our tunnel vision, we forget the power we have to restructure things! These lyrics by Gungor are so full of hope "You make me new, you are making me new". We easily lose site of the fact that being transformed means work is currently taking place. Right now, in these moments, He is purifying and challenging you. You are being made new! We have the hope of a fresh heart and mind every morning. That means our goals can and should shift and grow along with us! We can intentionally recreate our goals as the new year progresses without losing site of our initial intent.

 If you're coming to a frustrating place due to unmet goals and little headway, check your heart, dive into scripture, and breathe. Sometimes we need a refreshed and a renewed heart and checklist.

Although these checklists don't define you, they can be spectacular tools for cultivating a rich life, one that is purposeful and filled with promise. Find those crumpled pieces of paper, pray desperately over them, rewrite or throw some goals out, then work. It's a process, pray, write, work, repeat. Sometimes we need to cull through, trim the excess, and recreate our plans in order to get down to the relevant, refreshing change that needs to take place.

Cheers!
Mackenzie