June is the New January (Happy Mid-New Year!)

I didn’t make any New Year’s Resolutions this year.  I had dreams, goals and hopes and I even wrote some of them down, but not as a MUST-DO resolution. It’s not because I don’t like a list – I love a list.  I just tend to be very disappointed when I miss the mark, and it can cause me to just shut down and give up. I didn’t want to shut down anymore, so I decided to do something different this year.
I gave myself permission to just keep trying. I gave myself permission to fail, and I gave myself grace in the process.  I decided to not quit. I was excited and moving in a good direction.
I wanted to lose weight.
I wanted to be healthy.
I wanted to write.
I wanted to spend quality time with my kids and husband.
I wanted to go deeper in my faith with Jesus.
And then, without warning, my world was shaken. I was out of sorts and afraid.

My list of working towards a better me was pushed aside, as I simply tried to get through another day.
In that place of “I have no control,” I found a desperate and absolute need for the One who is in control. I needed His strength to get through that storm.
In the storm, the list that led to a better me was  blown away. I lost sight of everything because of the battle. The voices in the storm taunted “Why bother?”
And now, the wind has died down finally.  The sun is coming out, and I am still standing. I must admit though I am sad that I was off to a good start, and now I am quite a ways off track. I’ve been praying about it and fighting the tendency to give up. I needed to figure out how to even get started again, and it hit me this morning.

I wanted a New Year, and a new start.  He gently nudged my heart and reminded me that His mercies are new every morning.  He is faithful.  So, I decided to celebrate now, in June.
June is the New January.  Happy Mid-New Year.
I’ve been spending some time this weekend making my list again. I am going to focus and get back on track. I am going to claim the promise of a full life in Christ.

There is nothing that the enemy loves more than a spirit of defeat, because when we quit we make his work easy. He wants to set us back. He wants us to believe it is not possible, and it will never happen. He wants us to give up.
I am not giving up.
What about you?  Have you gotten off track or given up already this year? Are you stuck? Has a spirit of defeat kept you from moving? Maybe a storm blew in or perhaps you simply quit.
Are you looking for a reset button?
June can be your New January, too.  Let’s have a Happy Mid-New Year and get back to doing the things that God has called us to do.  Let’s commit to keep trying, even if we fall flat on our face. Let’s encourage one another to keep running the race.

Happy Mid-New Year!

Linking up with:  Suzie Eller