About a month ago, I wrote to the girl I was, and shared some of the biggest things I wish I could tell my younger self. Today, I want to write to the girl I'm becoming. I'm writing this at the beginning of 2023, as I process the year that has just come to a close, and to the girl I'll be becoming as this new year unfolds.
(And thank you so much to one of my best friends, Madi, for inspiring this post!)
To the girl I'm becoming,
I’m proud of you. I’m proud of the girl I am right now, but I know God is doing so much more in me. I’m proud of how far you’ve come, of the hurt you’ve had to experience to get where you are now. I’m proud of how you’ve held to the faith, of how God is continuing to teach and transform you in new ways.
Right now, I’m working on seeking the Lord with my whole heart, and that is such a joy. I’m trusting His plan for my relationships and my future, and that is so beautiful. I’m so passionate about Run the Race, and I cannot wait to see what He has planned with my words. My shins are healing, slowly but surely, but hopefully, 2023 will bring a whole lotta recovery and new speed for my legs. School is stressful as ever, and I’m starting to question what I want to do with my life, but God knows, and it’ll work out.
I have so many dreams for who I’m becoming, future me. I want my blog to take off, for people to be impacted by the words God is speaking through me. I want my shins to heal, so maybe I could be “fast”, be competitive. Mainly I want to be healthy again, to not hurt so bad when I walk up the stairs or lay in bed. I want to have healthy relationships, ones that bring me closer to God and use me to bring others closer to Him too.
This year especially, I want to work on being in the moment with my people. I want to work on enjoying the journey, the process of healing and recovering and learning. I want to make mistakes and get back up from them, and by the grace of God, let them make me stronger. I want to make memories with my people and be silly and take too many pictures, because who knows how many more opportunities I’ll have to do that. I want to let go of all the pressure and anxiety I put on myself and work on enjoying life instead of stressing the joy out of it. I want to write and go out on a limb and say the scary things because my words do matter.
Before the beginning of every new year, instead of setting resolutions (that I always fail at and forget about), I find a word of the year. For 2022, my word of the year was “abide”. I wanted to be still, be focused on my relationship with the Lord. I was so intrigued by the idea of dwelling in the Lord, and so that was my intention for the year. I put it on my letterboard above my desk, and that was a constant reminder of my heart for 2022.
For 2023, my word of the year is going to be “journey”. The past few months have been insane, a crazy rollercoaster of ups and downs. I often found myself saying, “Just enjoy the journey, one step at a time. You don't have to have it figured out, just enjoy it”, which is a hard lesson for someone like me who wants to have everything planned out and organized. I like being in control, but in this journey we call life, we can’t always be in control.
As I picked out the word “journey”, I kept visualizing a road trip. I don't know about you, but our family road trips are never perfect. Sometimes we bicker, get lost, or run out of gas in the middle of an intersection. But no matter where we’re going or what happens as we drive, we have the choice: we can either stare at our phone, give ourselves a headache, and stress all the details, or we can look out the window, enjoy the view, and cherish every moment we have together. I want to enjoy the view and cherish every moment, and not only on the road trips but in life too.
Future me, don't give up when the journey gets hard. Don't give up when you hit five red lights in a row or when you lose sight of your destination. Don't give up when everything inside of you is screaming to take control of the wheel and change your course completely. Don't give up when the people around you are challenging you to keep up, to stay with the flow of things and match their pace. Don't give up, future me. God has a beautiful journey mapped out for you, and all you have to do is take one step forward, one at a time, as He guides you.
Y'all, 2023 is HERE and I cannot tell you how excited I am. The new year has always excited me, has always been a beautiful restart for my soul. I'm so excited for what God is doing in our lives, and how He plans to use and teach us throughout 2023. Would you pray with me, as I lay down this new year and praise God for His work?
Father, thank You for the joy and anticipation that comes with the new year. Thank You for the plans You have for me, and all the beautiful things You are doing in my life. Lord, I surrender whatever 2023 holds in store for me. I lay it all down, the good, bad and ugly. I know You are good in the midst of whatever happens, and You are working it all for my good. Please transform me this year and use me to glorify You. Strengthen me, Father, and help me to honor You in all that I do. I praise You, Jesus, for this new start and chapter in my chapter. May it be Your will through this year, not mine. Amen.
What are you most looking forward to in 2023? Have you chosen a word of the year or set any new year's resolutions? I'd love to hear in the comments below!
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