Five Things I Need Less of in 2020
It's that time of year. We are all feeling fat and tired from eating so many carbs. We have exhausted our bank accounts, binged on Netflix and Disney+, and we are ready to send our kids back to school. Oh wait, my kids are homeschooled. Never mind.
I have been praying about what 2020 will look like, and I keep going back to one of my favorite verses, Hebrews 12:1. It talks about laying aside every weight to run the race that is set before us. I like that. Because sometimes life feels heavy. I carry things I was never meant to carry. I bear burdens that I should lay down. So here are some things I am intentionally choosing to lay aside in 2020. This is not a beautiful, poetic, cohesive list. It's just a real one. Here's what I need less of.
- Myself. My way. My opinions. My own petty attitudes that creep in and make me feel unloving and judgmental towards other people. I need more Jesus. More love. More of the mind of Christ.
- My Phone. I don't even want to think about how much time I have wasted or how many opportunities to engage with my kids I have missed because I was scrolling, scrolling, scrolling through the vastness of social media. I'm going to set time limits and stick with them.
- Thinking About, But Not Doing. I have really great intentions. I was going to send a card to a friend who is hurting. I was going to send out Christmas cards. I was going to memorize a portion of scripture with my kids for Christmas. I have thought through plans and dreams and things that sound really exciting. And I don't follow through. I can't do everything, I know this. But I can stop what I am doing (see #2), get up, and do ONE thing. Then I can probably do another. And before you know it, I have developed a little bit of follow-through. So in 2020, I'm giving up my slacker-ness.
- Yelling at My Kids. Yelling scares my kids. Raising my voice does not communicate the grace of the gospel that I am so desperately trying to communicate to them. It does not show them how to react when they are frustrated. I have grown in this area, but I still lose this battle sometimes. I want to give them soft responses (Proverbs 15:1).
- Eating My Feelings. Heaven help me. Seriously. I am sad, so I have a brownie. I am stressed, so I need a Salted Caramel Mocha with whipped cream. I am tired, so I am going to order chicken strips and fries from the restaurant next to my work instead of packing my lunch. Sadness, stress, and exhaustion are legitimate needs. I shouldn't fill those needs with illegitimate things, food included. Jesus wants to meet my needs. It's hard to even think about that when I'm dipping my fries in ranch dressing. It's also hard to fit into my pants.
Less, less, less. What could you use less of in 2020?
So, I became sick to death of myself this fall as well. After losing half my weight in 2004/05, I had to face the fact that I have gained back 75#. Not one of my finer days.....I also looked around and saw what my life looks like. Messy house overloaded with stuff, no motivation to get out of bed on my non-work days, no concentrated family time (everyone in different rooms in the evening), very little cooking and NO meal planning, an increase in my chronic pain and health complaints (wow, this is a super honest list).....all this working together to make me feel so BLAH that I would rather stay in bed, binge whatever on tv and feed my kids Little Caesars pizza...so, I have decided to start anew. Keto lifestyle to help lose some weight....correction, ALOT of weight....to hopefully feel better and feel better ABOUT myself. Deep cleaning goal of 1 room a month to purge and make some sense of this monstrosity of a house. Family game nights to connect weekly with my girls and not miss a moment with them. Here's to 2020....may these 20s be as roaring as the last!!
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