Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10
Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
they will be remembered forever.
They will have no fear of bad news;
their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
Psalm 112:6-7
Give careful thought to the paths for your feet
and be steadfast in all your ways.
Proverbs 4:26
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.
Psalm 138:8
2020 is, in some ways, a repeat of 2018. Several life-changing events are on the horizon, and I'm not quite sure how to set goals because I don't know how everything will pan out. Next week, I start a new job in a different organization in a different part of the city, which means new responsibilities, a new commute, new coworkers, and an overall re-configuring of daily life. Additionally, several of my closest friends are going through their own big life changes, which will affect me in varying degrees.
And yet, I don't want 2020 to be like 2018. I don't want to reach the end of the year frustrated with myself for slacking off or not maintaining self-discipline. 2019 was a turning point in the right direction; it was the "enough's enough" moment that spurred me on towards reaching concrete goals that created lasting changes.
I mulled over a few word choices for 2020, but the one that stuck was steadfast.
It's both a recognition of my own weakness and an inspiration for the year ahead.
I know how quickly I can get off of my routines, how little is needed to make me think twice about pursuing something or get me to quit. In many ways, steadfast is the opposite of what I am. And with all the changes happening this year, steadfast may be the last word that truly fits. But it's also the word most needed.
Steadfast -- to continue pursuing growth over comfort, to push past ambivalence and apathy, to continually press on towards excellence, to be firmly fixed in my beliefs and continue to grow in them.
But ultimately -- steadfast. A trait not original to myself, nor one I can successfully pursue in my own power. A recognition that everything I am and everything I have is a result of the Lord working in my life; that He is finishing what He started in me, and will continue on until the end.
So -- steadfast. A marriage, a right alignment, of faith and works.
Steadfast -- to continue pursuing growth over comfort, to push past ambivalence and apathy, to continually press on towards excellence, to be firmly fixed in my beliefs and continue to grow in them.
But ultimately -- steadfast. A trait not original to myself, nor one I can successfully pursue in my own power. A recognition that everything I am and everything I have is a result of the Lord working in my life; that He is finishing what He started in me, and will continue on until the end.
So -- steadfast. A marriage, a right alignment, of faith and works.
Post a Comment