I don’t know about you but I kind of feel like 2020 was a bit of a stalemate. We had a few adventures as a family but overall the kids felt as if we didn’t accomplish much. They were very underwhelmed with 2020 as a whole. I think that seems to be the popular consensus as I have observed from posts on social media.
I’m not sure if you do the “pick a word for the year” thing, but I do. My word for 2020 was FOCUS. My goal was to focus on each day and make the most of it that I could. I have to admit, that didn’t really happen every day of 2020. I tried to focus on the good but with all that was going on with the government and the virus, I kept finding myself drawn to social media and drawn to negative thoughts. Often the negative thoughts revolved around things that I couldn’t do much about. The most I could do was vote on election day and try to maintain a “normal existence”. Whatever the outcome, it was in God’s hands.
Sometimes the feelings of how little I could contribute to current events was so very overwhelming. This made my mind stray and I had a difficult time focusing. I did what I could to refocus but I felt as if I just couldn’t get my head wrapped around the concept.
All that being said, the past is not worth the stress and worry but looking ahead, I can influence what is yet to come, even if only for my family. We are determined to make the best of each day. I am combining FOCUS from last year with this year’s word of PEACE. I will try each day to focus on peace. I will strive to ask myself daily, “What will bring peace to myself and my family today?”
Can I just say that if you don’t have focus and peace yourself, neither will those around you, especially your little people. Children feed off their environment. If I start my day stressed and anxious, the kids respond similarly. This doesn’t mean I won’t have anxious days and days that just don’t work out. That isn’t reality. The reality is that life is hard and each day, heck, each moment is a learning opportunity.
I vow this year to do my best to focus on peace. My peace is daily looking to the Peace Maker to be the light on my path. Darkness will have no hold on me when I allow His light to brighten each step of my day.
My peace is watching my children learn and grow. Making them feel like they are accomplishing much and guiding and supporting their daily decisions. Showing them an example of how to make peace and keep the peace amongst each other and those around them.
My peace is doing what I can to make things easier around the house. Sometimes this is a job because there are so many of us with so many ideas of how our ideal home should look. Little people accumulate a lot of “things” so trying to organize all the things that are important to them and teaching them to eliminate those things that aren’t.
My peace is loving those around me unconditionally, even if we don’t agree on all things in life. I don’t have to agree with their view or their actions but I can still show love, compassion, and speak truth. Show them the peace of the Peace Maker.
My peace is focusing on the physical people in my life rather than the “people” of social media. Striving to meet the physical needs of those in my life before the emotional needs of the internet. Social media can surely be the robber of peace, at least for me. When I spend a large amount of time on Facebook, I feel a weight on my shoulders. I want to focus on removing that weight and shift my focus daily.
What are your plans for making 2021 better than 2020? Are you able to refocus and look for peace in the every day? Please share your word for the year in the comments and share with us what brings you peace. Lets have a great year friends!