2025: Maybe THIS is the Year I Do What I Plan to DO!

As the hubs and I just wrapped up a little getaway…little bit of work mixed with a little bit of relaxation…I was struck that all the planning and scheduling and dreaming for this new year will only go so far as the execution. I can plan and execute with the best of them, but I know that I can also flake out, like a boss. 

Sadly, it’s usually some pretty important stuff that takes a hit…family time, time with the Lord, time with friends…those are some heavy-hitters for sure. Guess I should also throw my own physical health in there, just for kicks. 

In bizarro world, the more intricate, detailed, and difficult things are the things that usually get top billing in my mind and heart…and schedule…and effort…and follow-through. The straight-forward and simple? Hmmm…not so much. 

We are met yet again with the obvious question…why is Eva so strange?! I know, right.

A wise person might suggest that we prioritize what we value most. And I would agree with that…ish. But if I had to put a finger of my specific shortcomings and hangups…I’m aware we don’t have all day, but let’s just dip our toes in this ocean…I think it’s because those heavy-hitters I mentioned above should be EASY. They should all happen NATURALLY. At least that’s what I tell myself, and when they don’t, well…they often don’t happen at all. It’s not that I’m unwilling to do the hard thing…maybe it’s that I take for granted that the ultimate trifecta I mentioned above will just happen…because it’s SUPPOSED to happen. After all, if it takes effort to spend time with friends, for example, there’s something wrong, right?!? Right?!?

Call your moms and check on your toddlers. Eva is going to get a little uncomfy…in case the first deep thought didn’t already do that for you.

Schedules and plans aren’t the enemy here. My own distraction-prone brain and demanding lists probably aren’t either. The enemy is not even my family…for the most part! The phone is probably way up there, but c’mon now, that farming game is FIRE. :/

But seriously, we know that all the good intentions in the world won’t cook the Sunday roast…I mean, I haven’t been doing that either but STAY FOCUSED. I can gather all the ingredients, get up EARLY, throw it all in the crockpot even. But if I don’t plug it in and turn it on, (don’t get lost, but I’ve definitely done that exact thing once or twice) we won’t be enjoying the pleasing aroma and savory goodness when we crash through those doors after church…no matter how good my intentions were.

For the handful of people that didn’t promptly throw the phone so they could go check their crockpot, I’ll wrap it up with another component of the issue. The money is in the follow through. This isn’t about New Years resolutions or vision boards, where we often dream the seemingly impossible. It’s simply taking the necessary steps…big and small…that will allow us to see these plans and lofty goals realized.

Let me use an easy example from my own life to hopefully land this plane. I became convinced years ago that God had called me to use the abilities He’d given me in the spoken and written word to challenge and encourage others. There have been times when I’ve grabbed the bull-by-the-horns, so to speak, and did just that. But there have been many…MANY…times when I’ve suddenly wondered, “Where did the past 6 months go?” and I hadn’t written a single word. I hadn’t stopped WANTING to write and share, but I had stopped carving out the time…honestly, I stopped giving myself the OPPORTUNITY…to do so.

This isn’t about feeling shame for not staying the course. Life happens and obstacles arise. But here’s what I know…when my 3 calendars ALL (wait…you don’t have multiple calendars you sync?! yikes.) reflect that Eva has carved out time to be writing or reaching out to people on a certain day of the week, I find that I’m more likely to do it. At the very least, it becomes a conscious choice, rather than a 6 month lapse.

If that didn’t hit, here’s another personal example that might help. Better sit down for this one.

Eva can no longer…deep breaths, in through the nose and all…but I can no longer do ALL. THE. THINGS. You might be thinking…could she EVER do all the things?!? Pipe down there, Mr. You-Know-Who! :) I can assure you I ran myself into the ground trying! But the reality is this…as I sat there, planning out my next 6-7 months…I had to also plan my rest. I’m not naturally inclined to do so. I had to plan for it. But now the margins are vast and wide…and that’s a good and wise thing. The past few years, I’ve been fighting tooth and nail to keep all the balls juggling and the plates spinning. But now I see the beauty in the margins, as well as the schedules. Who knows…maybe it’s the margins that allow us to follow through on the schedules?!

At the end of our time on earth, we long to hear from God, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” But there’s a sweetness in knowing, at the end of 2025, we approached each day with that same longing…to live a good and faithful life…in our plans and in our rest…all the while, keeping the main things the main things. May it ever be so.