My 2024 officially started on February 01st. In January, I was still envisioning, still planning and thinking of what and how I want this year to look like. I had an idea but it was not yet elaborated. At the beginning of the year, many people set goals and intentions. Some go far as to drawing vision boards and listing achievements they want at the year end. I’ve always done that in the past but to be honest it had served nothing other than leveling up my anxieties due to the fear of missing out or of not ticking my goal sheet. I’ve always felt like a failure to myself and therefore feared to become one to my loved ones as well.
With all that in mind, I took some time to pray for this year. I have many things I want to achieve personally; things I want to do with and for my family; the growth I want career wise and so much more. But above all I want to be peaceful. I can work toward everything I want and actually get it but peace…. Aaah! Peace is something that’s beyond me. It’s something I can’t control or get anyhow.
So my goals this year are simplified in one: To be closer to God. This year I want God to guide all my paths and decisions. I want God to lead the way. I want God to speak and act through me. I want to be that girl that you look at and see God. In the way I speak, the way I walk, the way I interact, the outfits I put on… everything I do, should reflect the image of God.
To achieve this goal, here are some steps I’m taking on an everyday basis:
Make time for God. I take an hour everyday to pray. I set an alarm in my phone for that special hour, in case I forget or get busy. When I’m free I prepare for this hour by getting everything I need ready and get myself in the mood.
Schedule prayers. I planned days of praying for specific things. There’s a day to pray for my family, a day for my kid, a day for myself, a day for my friends, a day for my country,... Like this it helps me focus and really pray for what matters to me rather than just passing a general prayer.
Read the Bible everyday. Whether it’s a verse or a whole chapter, I decided to make sure I read the Bible first thing in the morning. I believe that if I want to be closer to God and want Him to be closer to me, I should know Him really well and by reading His Word, I believe I will.
Eat healthy and workout. The Bible says in 1 Cor 6:19-20 that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. A temple should be in good condition to withstand, therefore, making healthy food choices is part of taking care of my body. And by working out, it’ll supplement it.
Wear modest outfits. I’m a representative of Christ and therefore my clothing should reflect that.
Learn more and grow careerwise. In Proverbs 1:5 it’s written that to be wise you will hear and increase learning. Also in Col 1:10, it's written that to walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, one should be fruitful in every good work and increase in the knowledge of God.
To cover this up, I always refer to St Francis of Assisi’s prayer:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offense, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring the truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Lord, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in forgiving that one is forgiven,
It is in dying that one awakens to eternal life.
Amen!
May 2024 be a year of answered prayers for you!