Hello friends,

New Year’s celebrations have come and gone and 2019 is in full swing; ushering in a wave of new goals, expectations and resolutions. I am not much of a resolution setter myself, I loath the personal disappointment of not achieving that which I set out to conquer, it’s one of my many character flaws. So, as I write my first post of 2019, I’m setting no expectations on what will happen with my blog this year. Rather, I will just tell you that I am grateful to write to you again. I seem to have a knee-jerk reaction to blogging, one day I’m all in and the next day I’m questioning every decision. In short, 2018 was quite a crazy year for us, as I began to pick-up blogging again and our lives were anything but settled, I realized my priorities were out of sorts. If I am honest, I also struggled with my motives for blogging, often feeling that what I intended for others had become more about myself.

I despise the constant struggle with narrowing in on the intentions of my heart; no matter how “good” I think my motives are. I can’t seem to get away from some form of selfishness or self-focus in everything I do. In a world that promotes self in every way possible, this is a real fight for anyone who desires to make life more about Jesus. Galatians 6:14 runs through my mind, “far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus.” And the question that is ever on my mind, what or who have I made my life (rather the life He has given me) about?

Luke 12:34 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

I try to make a habit of asking myself a series of questions that help me diagnose what I have made my treasure. Here are a few helpful questions to consider if you’d like to do the same: What do I spend my time and money on? Who or what brings me joy? What do I get frustrated over? Who do I seek to serve each day? Where do I go for comfort? Life would be all right if (fill in the blank). I really wish I had (fill in the blank).

The answers to these questions quickly reveal my heart, and my heart reveals what I worship. These answers are often rooted in the temporal, leaving me wanting because they are not meant to satisfy. We were created to worship our Creator, not His creation, and certainly not ourselves. As this New Year begins to unfold, I pray Galatians 6:14 will be the focus of my heart, aiming to bring glory to Christ, and being mindful of where my treasure is.

So dear friend, may you be challenged, as I am, to make the life the Lord has given us be more about Him – and just maybe I have resigned myself to make a New Year’s resolution for 2019, after all. I leave you with these words in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Desiring to look vertical and think eternal,