2015: A call for peace.

I think we all look forward to the start of the new year.  

Quiver Tree Photography, 2014.

Not that January 1st really ever feels much different, but I feel as though the whole month we are bombarded by the "freshness" of a new year in advertisements--get healthy, clean up and organize, find space and margin, etc.  It always feels like a chance to start over--and in our efforts to start over, we find ourselves making plans and commitments and adding more things to our routines to help ourselves become more focused and less stressed.  We add workouts and cooking at home and take on new hobbies and getting our lives straight.  We want to become more engaged at home and at work and with our friends.

Then, about mid-January, we hit the reality wall. 

And, so often, this new year often feels a whole lot like the previous one, and we're still not very happy with the state of affairs. So, may I offer a humble suggestion? 

 I'm going to make 2015 a year of peace and I hope you'll join me. 

It's time we came to terms with the reality of our lives, and start making peace with what we've been handed.  Sometimes this is easy--maybe we're in a bubble of happiness.  New baby, new jobs, new relationships, new new new!  Maybe we've finally reached a goal we've been striving towards.  Maybe things are finally improving in other situations.  Maybe this is the year we're completing that degree.  There are a lot of great and wonderful things that can happen within the year.   

2014 was really good for my family in so many ways.  We had wonderful gifts dropped in our laps--we were able to take a family vacation and go on some overnight adventures.  We were able to sell our home.  We are surrounded by good people who care very much about our emotional and spiritual well-being.  Our camp finally has a septic system that works!  This was also the year that I made it my goal to start taking care of my physical needs.  I went to the gym 3 days a week for most of the year and we were even able to figure out how I could meet with a trainer on a regular basis as well.  I feel so much better physically, but I have found myself becoming mentally and emotionally stronger as well.

But 2014 might not have been your year.  Maybe you're in a time of trial.  Maybe you're waiting on a diagnosis.  Perhaps you're dealing with a lot of pressure from work.  Or a difficult family situation.  Maybe your friendships have dwindled from the demands of family, life, and other obligations.  Maybe you're not in the place you want to be physically or mentally or spiritually.  Maybe you just really want a relationship that will matter.   

2014 was full of some low moments for our family as well.  We had a fairly serious injury occur this summer during camp.  While we are pleased to know that everything turned out relatively fine in the end, it was a scary and emotional time for a lot of different reasons.  People in our lives lost the people they love the most.  I sat through a trial that made my head and heart hurt for the young ladies of this world.  There were tornados, financial worries, and health scares.  There were unkind words, unsolicited advice, and old wounds.  There were times we fell short, and there were times we were let down.     

But, I'm calling on 2015 to be the year of making peace with what I've been given.  

I am going to extend my hands and receive what's been given to me right this minute.  I'm going to make peace with who I am today.  I may not like moments from my past, and I may be fearful of my future at times, and I may not always like where I'm currently standing, but I'm going to learn to become content with where He's led me today.  

I'm going to remind myself that my life is full of so many wonderful things that I've taken for granted.  I have luxuries that people spend their whole lives waiting for--water, shelter, food, family, friends, and employment.  I have been given so, so much and the Lord has always met our needs at exactly the right moment we needed them.   

I am going to let go of my notions to change the world, to change my house, to change my habits, to change change change all the things--because who I am, and where I'm at today, is good enough for today.  Of course I'm going to continue to make personal goals, but I'm going to hang up my superwoman cape and remind myself to be comfortable in my old lady skin.  True change can't begin until we face reality and start working on what's currently staring us in the face.  

We can't change what's behind us.  

We can't know what's in front of us. 

But we can make peace with today. 

Quiver Tree Photography, 2014.