While Christmas is over for the year, the festivities are far from over. The countdown to the ball drop on New Year’s Eve has already started for many, along with their plans for New Year resolutions. While that phrase often conjures up the image of failed diet plans and wishful thinking, I have decided on a few personal goals for the upcoming year.
1. Intentionally hang out with friends.
This one is a goal I have had in place for a while now, but I plan to work on developing friendships. I was recently convicted that community with other people is an important part of the Christian faith, and the amount of time I spend alone is not always healthy. So I have the simple goal of asking the people I would like to know better if they would like to get lunch together. Yet for whatever reason the thought of making plans fills me with a sense of dread. Hashtag introvert problems. I really just need to swallow my apprehension and make the call, and 2016 will be the year that I do it.
2. Spend more time outdoors.
Another goal I have is to be more active. Studies have proven how harmful our generation’s addiction to technology can be, predicting that this is the first generation in decades in which parents are expected to outlast their children. Besides, this world is full of beauty, and I am tired of missing all of it by holing myself up indoors. While exercise is important, my primary purpose in spending time outside is to recapture the sense of wonder a child has about the world.
3. Be content.
The previous two goals I have listed tie into my goal to be content with my current position in life. As college students, we often view our classes as just a means to an end, something unpleasant we have to do in order to earn a degree to get a job. I desire to approach our classes and college life as a challenge to learn something new and valuable every day, not a challenge to get by and finally live my life once I graduate. While it is good to strive for a major, I do not want to get so caught up with my future career plans and miss the opportunities I have surrounding me.
The reality is, life rarely plays out the way we want it to; rather than stressing over if I am making all the right choices, I want to take confidence in the fact that God will use me wherever I go. While many of the goals I have listed above will not play out the way I expect them to go, I am learning that is absolutely all right. Often we want life to play out like a screenplay, where everything little nuances goes according to the script we write. But some of the most memorable climatic scenes were entirely improvised. Life can be messy and unpredictable, but there is a beauty in it that is worth searching for. Seeing and embracing this beauty and truth with all my heart, body, and soul is ultimately my goal not just for the upcoming year, but also for the rest of my life.
