It’s a little late to talk about a word for the year. But, I plan to hold on to this one for a while. I ended 2019 thinking I knew what my focus would be in 2020 and, as a result, already had a word in my mind for the New Year.
Invest.
Invest would be the word. Last year I worked hard to get out of debt before my birthday. Very hard. So it didn’t make sense when four months before I hit my goal, I knew without any doubt that God was telling me to let go of 3 of 4 clients and more than cut my income in half.
Single. I was working part-time and living by myself. It didn’t add up.
But I heard Him. Not only did I hear Him, but when I questioned it (because you know I wanted to be sure), He confirmed. So I had to do it. I was scared. At that moment, I wished I hadn’t have told anyone about my goal of paying off my debt. What
Let me tell you; I don’t know how I paid off my student loans before my birthday. Yes, I stuck to my plan and kept my budget, but even with that, the numbers didn’t add up. I remember sitting in church in November of 2018, and my pastor was preaching on stewardship. Getting out of debt had been a goal for a while, but I hadn’t gotten serious about it. But in the message, I was convicted to steward what I had well. He told us to make a plan and then pray and asked God to bless that plan. I had made my plan before God told me to let those clients go. And I did ask Him to bless it. So when I finally mustered up the courage to do what He had told me to do, I had one request. And I spoke that request out loud. I said, “God, whatever happens, I ask that you honor my request to pay off my student loans before my birthday.
My final payment to Great Lakes Student Loans was for $897.53 on August 06, 2019, over a month before my birthday. But this is the part that gives me chills. On September 17, 2019, one day before my birthday, I received this message from Great Lakes: Congratulations, our records show that the account listed above has been paid in full.
It was as if God was winking at me, reminding me that He kept His promise. And He wasn’t a day late.
After clearing my debt, I thought my word for the year would be invest – to invest financially, invest in myself, invest in my career, etc. But after spending some time with God, He changed that too.
My word for this year is cherish. 2019 taught me something – things can change in an instant, so make sure you take care of what’s in your hand. See the value in what you have and in who is around you. In a blink of an eye, everything can change.
And just over one month into 2020, boy, am I seeing it.
On January 06, we celebrated the life of my first lady, Dr. Lois Evans. On January 24, my great aunt passed away. On January 26, my favorite basketball player Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash.
So, if I seem motivated to live this year like I never have before, there are a few good reasons.
Because I don’t know…
When my circumstances with my health may change
When life will serve me a big financial hit
When I’ll lose someone close to me
When the door to an opportunity I’ve cherished close.
So cherish them. I hold them close. I keep them and cultivate them with care. Because they matter and this year I don’t want to take anything for granted.
This year, I want to cherish the life I live.
And I believe you should too.
Recent Comments