Release
A few months ago, God placed a new word on my heart for the upcoming year. I began this practice almost 10 years ago and it has usually come on January 1. But in recent years, God has nudged me to begin the transition to a new word much sooner. It’s great to start with the season of Advent, as that is the beginning of the church year. The other natural place to start is with a new year of life, on a birthday.
It’s time to release expectations.
When a child is born, they don’t turn one and then all the growth magically occurs. Instead through those first twelve months, child and family experience all the milestones. And when they turn one, we all celebrate! And then they BEGIN their second year, and the journey continues.
Today, I begin my 40th year. Now don’t be mistaken, I don’t turn 40 today. But I’ve come to the end of my 39th year and I am celebrating that. But today also begins my journey to the next decade.
As I process this, I now understand why I’ve felt 39 this whole year, because I was! The number is just that, a number, only with expectations that we personally or in society, place upon it. The number is a celebration of the milestones, joys and challenges of the past year.
Expectations have value in my life, and I typically thrive within them. But some come from learned behaviors that need to be unlearned. Some have come with boundary lines that have had to be redrawn. Some come from society who tries to convince me that it knows what’s best for my life. If it “confines, burdens or oppresses,” it’s time to reconsider the impact on me and those around me.
I found this article to be helpful in shaping my thoughts ahead of this birthday. You can listen here:
It’s time to release the trauma of the past.
2024 will mark the fourth anniversary of one of the most traumatic 3 months of my life. Through therapy I have learned that there’s no timeline for grief. The expectations are self-made or a false narrative coming from individuals who only have received a glimpse of my trauma. In the last year or so, I’ve worked to release the expectation of myself to move past it.
What does it look like to release this trauma? I am already experiencing healing through the passage of time. I will explore what else it might mean in the coming year, but I’m setting an intention now to pursue this exploration.
It’s time to release…a book?
This may sound like a surprise, but it’s a project I have wanted to revisit for awhile. I took a year from 2018-2019 to write a book draft. In January 2020, I revised, received suggestions from authors, and seriously contemplated next steps. And then March 2020 happened.
As I begin to write and reflect in this new space, it’s the perfect opportunity to share more about the subject matter of this book. It’s certainly relevant, otherwise I would not have considered dusting if off and adjusting my rhythms to restart the project.
This new space for me to share my writings and reflections will be free in this season. It’s just a hobby and I want anyone who comes across this space to be enriched by what they read. But, as I share more about this book and its subject matter and you feel a call to help support the next steps, fundraising will be a large piece of the project.
So look for a button to pop up for this purpose. I won’t spam you or bug you about donations. It’s simply for you to give as you are moved to do so based on your response to what you read in this space.
I don’t have a specific Bible verse or passage picked out to focus on, but this word and its various meanings give me plenty to explore. I love the idea of being set free and so I will begin with the One who has set us all free.
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” - John 8:36 ESV