It's Time to Move

I started a new Bible study a couple of weeks ago. I finished a study on Revelation and decided that I wanted to do a study on Deuteronomy. I know that sounds like a strange book to decide to study. Why not James? Why not Romans? Why not any of the Gospels that have all the nuggets of wisdom from Jesus Himself on how I ought to be living. I mean, it’s a new year, right? Shouldn’t I be focusing on how to make changes in my life so that I can live a better life…a life more like Jesus? How in the world can I possibly get something like that out of a book like Deuteronomy?

Funny you should ask…

A verse in the very first chapter of the book of Deuteronomy stopped me in my tracks. Here I was, only six verses in, and I was already coming undone.

“The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb, saying, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain.’” -Deuteronomy 1:6

I read those words and burst into tears. God had just given me permission to move.

Many people make resolutions every January. January should be called the “gonna” month for the amount of people swearing that they are “gonna” do this or that. “I’m gonna eat better.” “I’m gonna go back to the gym.” “I’m gonna go to bed earlier.” “I’m gonna get organized.”

I’m not really the resolutions type. I don’t make specific resolutions in January, mostly because I know myself well enough to know that there is pretty much a zero percent chance that I will actually see it through. The minute I break it, I will start getting down on myself and telling myself how horrible I am and how I will never have the discipline to see anything through and I am just a terrible person. I really don’t have time for that nonsense, so I just avoid making resolutions at all. Don’t get me wrong, I know that there are things about me that need to change, and I want to change them, but if I want those changes to actually happen, I have to find a way that will work for me.

So here are five things that I have done over the past few years that have created lasting change in my life. Maybe one of them can help bring lasting change to your life as well.

1 – Ask God for a word.

Many years ago, a friend and spiritual mentor told me that she asked God for a word for the year at the beginning of every year. I had never heard of this before and I was very intrigued by it. I decided to try it and I have been doing it ever since. I have gotten some strange words over the years, some scary and some refreshing. I have found comfort and solace in my word over the years. Having a word for the year has brought me peace and hope and grounds me when life starts to get out of control.

Prayer is a passion of mine and when I find myself so overwhelmed that I don’t even know what to pray, I simply repeat my word for the year over and over again until I feel peace and calm. That word was given to me by God, so when I find myself struggling to talk to Him, I grab hold of the word that He spoke to me so that I can reconnect with Him. This has done wonders for my anxiety. Knowing that I always have that word and that no one can take that away from me is like having a shield that keeps the anxiety at bay.

2 – Keep a gratitude journal.

I journal like a crazy woman. I just love to write. I started keeping a gratitude journal three years ago. Every day I would write down five things that I was thankful for and it was a game changer for me. There is no right or wrong way to do this. Some people just write three things down. Some people start with number one and just keep adding to the list every day for a year. Do whatever works for you and don’t worry about what anyone else has to say about it. It’s not about them anyway.

This year I changed it up a little bit. Now, instead of just listing five things that I am thankful for, I also write down why I am thankful for them. This has made a HUGE difference for me. This morning I wrote that I was thankful for piled up dishes in the sink because it meant that I actually took some time to rest over the weekend. When I got home this afternoon and looked at the mess in the sink, I smiled as I remembered being curled up on the couch under a blanket binge-watching HGTV on Sunday after church. Perspective…it’s more powerful than you think.

3 – Put Post-Its everywhere.

I keep a pack of sticky notes near me at all times. I have them on my desk at work. I have them in my writing desk at home. I have them in my closet where I go to pray. I seriously have them everywhere because I rely on them so much! I use them to write down anything and everything that I come across that I want to remember. Quotes from books, podcasts, or movies, Bible verses, song lyrics…when something speaks to me, it goes on a sticky note. Sometimes the sticky note goes on the dash in the car. Sometimes it goes on the bathroom mirror. Most of the time, the sticky note goes on the wall in my prayer closet. I am up to 82 sticky notes on my prayer closet wall. I am not even exaggerating…feel free to ask my husband although he will probably say that there must be more than that.

I use these sticky notes to remember (which coincidentally was my word for last year) when I start to forget. Sometimes I forget who I am and whose I am. Sometimes I forget how to be a good wife. Sometimes I forget how to be a good mom. Sometimes I forget how to love people well. Sometimes I forget that there are people suffering in another country so that I can be free to witness in my own. Sometimes I forget how to hope. Sometimes I forget how to battle. Sometimes I forget how to rest. Sometimes I even forget how to pray. I have a sticky note on my prayer closet wall for each one of these things, along with many others, that is filled with Bible addresses so that I can go to scripture and remember. It is extremely difficult for me to fight the voices in my head when I start to forget how to be a good wife, mom, employee, friend, etc. My sticky note wall is my fortress for battle. When the battle begins, I have a place to go to remember and to fire back with truth.

4 – Let the music lead you.

As I said before, I don’t make new year’s resolutions. I do, however, make a playlist for the year ahead. I love music. Music speaks to me. I get lost in music. Every year I make a playlist of songs that I want to represent the upcoming year in my life. This is another one of those things that helps ground me and soothe me when things start to go sideways…and they always do at some point. The playlist is a reminder of what I want this year to look like. The songs empower me and encourage me to fight through the rough places and stay the course. They bring me back to center and help me refocus on what I have decided is important for the year.

5 – When all else fails, light it on fire and watch it burn.

I did something brand new this year and it was so cathartic that I have decided to make this a yearly tradition moving forward. Someone that I follow on Instagram put up a post explaining how she and her husband take time every year to reflect on the previous year and write down the things that they do not want to carry into the new year with them. Then they write those things down and burn them. I absolutely loved this idea, so I decided to try it this year.

I decided that I would perform my “burning ceremony” on Epiphany so I spent some time after Christmas reflecting on the previous year. I landed on three things that I did not want to carry into 2021 with me. Then I wrote them down, lit them on fire, and watched them burn. It. Was. Amazing.

Epiphany is a holiday that commemorates the Magi’s visit to baby Jesus as well as the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. Both events are reminders that God has already settled the score with the enemy over our lives. Jesus came and conquered death. He has victory over the enemy always and forever. Nothing is too big for us to conquer because we have Jesus on our side and in our hearts. This is why I wanted to do this on Epiphany, and I am so glad that I did. It was an incredible visual reminder that Jesus is still so much bigger than all these things trying to bind me up.

This is what made me come undone when I read Deuteronomy 1:6. How many times have I missed God telling me that I have stayed long enough at this mountain? How many times has He spoken to me telling me that He has already conquered that mountain for me, and it was time to move? How many times has He tried to show me that He has given me everything that I need to move on and leave that mountain behind?

I would ask the same of each of you. Is God telling you to move today? Are there things that are binding you up and holding you back that God has already conquered in your life? Are there things that you need to leave behind and refuse to carry into this new year with you?

I know it is scary. I know it is uncomfortable.

One of my favorite movie quotes is, “Beginnings are usually scary, endings are usually sad, but it’s what’s in the middle that counts.” Moving away from a mountain that you have stayed at for a long time is scary, even if you know that the mountain is no good for you. Take comfort in the fact that God gave you everything you need to move away from it during your middle. The middle is where He teaches us and gives us wisdom and courage and strength. The middle is His gift to us to cling to as we take that scary, uncomfortable step away from our mountains. Don’t take your middle for granted. Cling to it. Be careful with it. And most of all, be grateful for it.