Start or Stop

by Tammy Iund Woodard

Isaiah 43:18-19 NLT

18 “But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.

19 For I am about to do something new.  See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Do you become reflective at the close of a year?  I certainly do.  However, I often become reflective at the change of the seasons.  I love season changes and New Years.  It’s a reminder to me that nothing really comes to stay.  Now, if you’re experiencing something difficult, that statement may bring you great joy and hope.  However, if life is feeling good to you, that statement might make you nervous.  The statement - nothing comes to stay - feels me with peace, joy and hope regardless of my circumstances.  Do you know why?  It reminds me that God is in charge of all things, all the time.  My life going poorly doesn’t take away from the goodness of God and my life going well doesn’t add to the goodness of God.  The sovereignty of God is just that - THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD.  Changing seasons and a changing year remind me of this.

Over the years, I’ve moved away from New Year’s Resolutions.  Instead, I’ve tried to reflect on the last year of my life and decide if I want to make any changes.  I do this reflection prayerfully.  Then I make personal goals for myself to make changes where I feel God is telling me it's necessary.

We often ask at CCCoG - What is God saying and What are you going to do about it?  Or what is your response to what God is telling you?  It’s not enough to simply hear from God.  We must have an actionable response.  One of the ways we can respond to God is through the completion of a PDP - Personal Development Plan.  We learn about this in Form. (shameless plug for Form)

I want to share with you the 5 capitals we learn about in Form.

The 5 Capitals - The 5 capitals are the forms of “currency” we can operate in to respond to God.  These are investment assets in our possession.  

Spiritual – faith, wisdom

Relational –relationships

Physical - time and energy

Intellectual – intellect, skill sets, ideas and concepts

Financial – tangible asset 

Obviously that’s a short explanation, but I’d encourage you to pray and reflect on these areas of investment in your life and ask God: Are there areas for growth?  Are there things I’m doing that I should continue to do into this new year? Are the things I’m doing that I should not continue in this new year?  

As you are praying and reflecting, I want to share a story God shared with me a few years ago.  It’s about what to take into new seasons (or new years) and what to leave behind.  I lived in Spokane for 20 years.  Winter temps are quite extreme in Spokane and summer temps can be quite extreme as well.  I was praying one day, frustrated about something that didn’t seem to be working in my life and yet it was something that God had clearly brought into my life.  As I was voicing my complaint to God, He said this to me:

“During the winter in Spokane, you must wear a heavy jacket for protection.  You must wear gloves, a scarf, a hat and even something across your face.  Temperatures can get below zero and any exposed skin immediately becomes frost bitten.  However, in the summer when temperatures are often in triple digits, if you wear that same attire it will literally kill you.  What offered protection in one season will kill you in another season.”  

Sometimes things are in our life only for a season.  We start to experience difficulty when we try to bring things from one season into another season and God never intended it to be there.

I reflect on that story during these times of the year.  I ask the Lord, is there anything in my life that was only for the last season?  God is always focused on eternity.  He always has the best for us.  He may even ask us to let go of the “good” so we can have the best.  

Take some time to reflect on 2021.  Think about the 5 capitals.  Write down some goals if you’d like.  But ask God how you can use the “investment currency” He’s given you to respond to what He’s speaking to you.  Happy 2022!